cry. Just look what you’ve destroyed! And like I’m

witnessing car crash, can’t turn away.

There’s Holly as

giggling toddler, high on Jack’s

shoulders; Holly holding baby Ben, so nervous and excited

and proud; Holly peering out of her tree house with

Melissa; Holly beaming beneath

Sweet Sixteen banner

while Jack holds cake filled with candles, ready for her to

make wish

press my eyes closed tight. Wishing. Hoping.

Praying. If click my heels together three times will be

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home? Will all this have simply been

dream?

Technicolor nightmare?

Something hard presses into my hand, and open

my eyes. It’s book. The Three Little Pigs

Ben looks up at me expectantly.

“Storwy, Rosie?”

smile despite myself.

“Sure,” tell him, and he climbs up onto the sofa

beside me, mountaineering expedition. open the book,

and before know it he’s crawled onto my lap. stare at

him, his warm weight heavy on my legs, his pale blue eyes

clear and wide as he stares up at me. My little brother. My

heart flips and sinks. I’m going to miss him so much.

“Once upon time,” he prompts.

smile, turning back to the book, and flick to the

first page.

“Once upon time,” repeat, “there lived three little

pigs.”

And so read to him, this little boy who’s somehow,

incredibly,

part of me. He turns the pages, and at his

command do all the different voices as the little pigs run

about frantically trying to escape the Big Bad Wolf as he

recklessly destroys their homes and lives.

Until finally he gets what he deserves.

437

Holly

take deep breath and push open the front door.

hear Megan reading to Ben in the living room and close

my eyes, imagining my own child, allowing myself the

luxury to dream

sigh. The truth think, opening my eyes. need to

tell them. I’m going to tell them now, get it over with. Then

somehow we can start trying to pick up the pieces—

attempt to put them back together again—try to work out

what the new picture might look like.

swallow hard and open the door.

“And they all lived happ—”

Rosie looks up, midsentence. stare at her, the sight

of Ben sitting on her lap snatching my breath.

“What’s going on?” demand.

“We’re just reading story.” Rosie smiles nervously.

‘The Three Little Pigs.’

“My favewit!” Ben beams.

“I thought your favorite was ‘The Three Billy Goats

Gruff’?—you know, the one with the big fat ugly troll?”

glare at Rosie.

He shakes his head fiercely. “Nope, like the Big Bad

Wolf—Rosie does good voices.” He grins.

feel sick.

438

“Where’s Dad?” say, my voice tight.

“He’s just in the—” Rosie begins.

“Rosie!” Dad beams, bursting in, Megan following

closely behind. “Rosie, it worked!”

have ceased to exist.

“Really?” Rosie stares at him as if her life depends

on it.

“Uh-huh.

rang her up—this Janet

Janice

whatsherface

and said that if they run with the story

then I’ll go public with the tape of Kitty—and then

played it for her.”

“What did she say?” Rosie asks eagerly.

“Well, she didn’t say anything for

good thirty

seconds, then she just swore and hung up! That’s got to be

good sign, right?”

“What’s going on?” ask.

“Holly!” He smiles, turning to me for the first time.

“Sweetheart, it’s gonna be okay—they’re gonna drop the

article, the court case, everything!” He grabs me in hug.

“It’s over. It’s all over. We can get back to normal.”

Normal

“Are you sure?” Rosie asks. “Did Janine actually say

that?”

“Well, Kitty can hardly go ahead with her World’s

Best Mother campaign if it gets out that she abandoned

her own baby, can she? And with the tape too, it’d be the

end of her career.” He grins. “Apparently there is such thing as bad publicity!”

439

He hugs her, the girl he couldn’t bring himself to

look at few hours ago.

“Now, what do you say we all go out for some pizza

to celebrate?” He beams. “As family.”

“That’s great idea,” Megan says.

“Pepperwoni, pepperwoni!” Ben chants, and Rosie

laughs.

“Holly?” Dad says. “I’ll split you

stuffed-crust

Mexican Meat Feast?” He winks. “Extra jalapenos …?”

“You go on,” tell him. “I’m actually not feeling too

great. might go lie down.”

“Really?” Dad frowns, pressing his hand to my

forehead. “You okay? You want us to stay in?”

“No! Pepperwoni!” Ben protests.

“No, you all go ahead.” force smile. “I’m fine.”

“Okay, well

we’ll bring you back some pizza,

okay? know you prefer it for brekkie, anyway.”

close my eyes, the thought of cold pizza making

me queasy.

“Boots, Ben!” Megan instructs.

“No—more storwy!” Ben protests, waving his book

at Rosie.

“Sorry!” she laughs, scooping him up and tickling

him. “We didn’t quite finish did we? Where did we get to?”

And they all lived happily ever after think bitterly

as turn away, closing the door firmly behind me.

Unbelievable

grit my teeth, trying to control

myself.

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Every time Every freaking time she somehow ends up on top—the cat that gets the cream, having her cake

and eating everybody else’s too! Un- freaking- believable!

Poor Rosie— the girl who’s lied through her teeth since she got here—who’s had it all—who’s got it all—

now getting all the sympathy because she doesn’t want

her friend to get into trouble! God forbid the woman who

did this—who ruined my life—should be punished! And

they’re helping her! She deserves to go to prison—to

hell—for all she’s done. hold my stomach tenderly. And

can’t even tell them I’m pregnant because they’re too busy

celebrating with freaking Rosie!

She’s had mother, she’s free of the disease, she’s lied

to us all and still she gets the happy ending? Still she gets to play happy family?

hurl my jacket at the coat rack—and miss. Typical.

snatch it up and find the rest of this morning’s unopened

mail underneath—abandoned in the wake of Hurricane

Rosie, just like everything else.

green logo catches my

eye.

DNAnytime

Great. Perfect. Just what need—a stab in the gut

with the DNA results that have ruined my life. snatch up

the envelope and stomp upstairs. Wouldn’t that just make

Rosie’s freaking day? DNA proof—her golden ticket to

happy ending in my family, my life! can imagine them all

now, crowding into

booth at Pisa Pizza, the mom, the

dad, the son and the perfect, healthy daughter. The

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textbook happy family. My eyes sting as throw myself

miserably onto my bed.

They’re not mine, they were never mine—that’s the

truth. It was all calculated move, deliberate switch by

screwed-up midwife designed to give Rosie to her friend

and leave me for dead. I’m the sick one, the doomed one.

was never meant to survive.

reach for my pillow and my fingers find something

hard beneath it. pull it out and my heart plummets as

stare at my engagement ring. Now even that’s over too.

Everything’s ruined because of Rosie and her freaking