“Holly, please,” beg. “Sarah will go to prison! She

never meant you any harm—it was mistake. You’ll ruin

her life!”

“She’s ruined my life!” Holly rounds on me. “Why shouldn’t she be punished? Why shouldn’t go claim my

family, Rosie? You did. She’s my nana, after all!”

“Because …”

stare at her helplessly,

million

reasons flooding to my lips. Because she’s an old lady.

Because it would destroy her world. Because she’s mine …

“Because she doesn’t know,” tell her, my words

sounding feeble, even to me.

“Neither did I.” She turns away, dragging Josh

across the concourse.

“Holly, please.”

chase after her, desperate now.

“You have

right to be angry—we both do—but this

won’t solve anything! You can’t turn back the clock!”

480

“You tried to!” Holly counters.

“Yes, and look where it got me with Kitty!” reason.

“You were better off without her!”

“That’s easy for you to say!” she retorts. “I wouldn’t

know. My mother’s dead!”

“I know, Holly—I’m the one who had to watch her

die!”

She flinches.

“You really think my life’s been so easy—that I’m

the lucky one in all this?!”

stare at her incredulously,

blood blazing in my veins. “She was my mother my whole world

and there was nothing could do. just had to

watch …”

She looks away.

“You’ve had eighteen years, Holly—eighteen happy,

blissful years with

dad who loves you more than

anything else on this planet, wonderful stepmother and

gorgeous little brother—and you think I’m the lucky

one?” Tears scorch my eyes.

She bites her lip.

“Don’t you see, there are no winners here, Holly.

We’re the same—I never had

dad, you never had

mother. This accident, this mistake, it happened to both of us.”

“We’re not the same!” she yells. “My parents are

dead! I’ll never know them!” She glares at me, her voice trembling. “They’ll never know me—because of Sarah, they never had the chance!”

481

“Holly.” lower my voice as people begin to stare. “I

know. I’m sorry, didn’t mean—”

“And no, it wasn’t an accident,” she spits, eyes

blazing. “It wasn’t

mistake— your mother didn’t want

you. She left you, she ran away. That’s how this all

happened! If Kitty hadn’t abandoned you we wouldn’t be

in this mess!”

freeze as she glares at me, eyes shimmering.

“My mother was desperate for me—you said it

yourself—she wanted me more than anything else in the

whole world, but was taken from her—your friend stole

me— that’s the difference!”

stare at her, stunned, as Josh wraps his arm

around her shoulders, tries to calm her down.

“It wasn’t an accident,” she repeats, her eyes

burning into mine, clear as glass. “You were abandoned,”

she clarifies coldly. “I was stolen.”

stare at her as the room spins sickeningly. She’s

right. Kitty didn’t want me—she never wanted me—she

left me. Twice

“No one was abandoned,” Jack says quietly, walking

up behind me.

Holly looks up at him, her jaw clenched tight.

“Holly,” he says gently. “Rosie, both of you have

been loved. Are loved. None of this makes

difference,

DNA doesn’t matter—”

“Ha!” Holly laughs coldly. “Well, you would say that,

wouldn’t you?”

Jack stares at her, his face draining of color.

482

“You’re not my father, are you?” she says coldly.

“You never were.” To my surprise, she looks at me. “And

you’re not—”

“Holly—don’t,” Jack interrupts, grabbing her

shoulders, his back to me. “Please …”

She stares up at him, her face stricken with pain.

She shakes her head, disbelieving.

“Even now,” she whispers. “Even now?”

“Holly—”

“Get off me!” she yells, shrugging him away. “Don’t

you dare!” Her voice is broken, splintered by tears. “Don’t you dare tell me what to do—you’re not my father—you

were never my father!”

“Holly—” Jack tries again.

“Don’t touch me!” She recoils, stepping behind Josh,

who looks awkwardly at Jack.

People are staring openly now, and security guard

is heading our way, but Holly seems oblivious, her face

raw with emotion as she glares at Jack.

She turns to me, opens her mouth to speak, then

closes it again,

hardness descending over her features.

She picks up her bag, her back straight, her shoulders

square, and without another word, she grabs Josh’s hand

and walks away.

483

Holly

“Holly!” Dad cries, following me, but keep walking,

concentrating on putting one foot in front of another,

heading for passport control. Hot tears spring, and swipe

at them angrily, Josh’s hand tight around mine.

“Holly!” Dad grabs my arm.

“Jack,” Josh says gently. “Sir, you can’t stop her.”

Dad shakes his head, his voice quiet, lost. “I’m not

trying to.”

He looks at me, so sad.

“Holly, if this is what you want, if this is really what

you want …”

“It is,” tell him firmly, my jaw set.

“Then I’ll come with you.”

stare at him in surprise.

“You’re my little girl, Holly-berry,” he whispers. “No

matter what you say, you’ll always be my little girl.” He

looks at me, his eyes full. “I just want you to be happy.”

stare at him. He’d come with me? To find my

family? My real family?

“No.” shake my head, my voice trembling. “Thank

you, but no—I have to

have to do this by myself.”

He looks at me, his eyes mournful, like we’re saying

goodbye for the last time.

484

“I understand.” He nods, blinking quickly. He rubs

his hand over his face roughly, then opens his wallet and

presses wad of bills into my palm.

“Good luck, baby,” he whispers, leaning forward and

kissing my forehead gently, the familiar scent of his jacket

washing over me and stinging my eyes. “I love you.”

look up at him, my heart wrenching in my chest.

How did it come to this?

gaze at him for what seems like forever, until his

face swims in front of mine and can’t breathe

then

close my eyes tight, take huge breath and force myself to

turn away—away from everything I’ve ever known,

everything I’ve ever loved—toward

future blurring

before me

485

Rosie

“This is crazy!” yell at the airline rep. “There must

be flight—a stand-by seat or something?

“Not tonight, I’m sorry, ma’am,” she says calmly.

“Would you like me to book that flight for you on the

thirtieth? That’s the earliest available seat right now.”

“Fine!”

say, tearing at my hair. “Fine—yes. Yes,

please.”

watch miserably as she makes the booking.

The thirtieth— four whole days away I’ve got to wait four whole days before can fly. Four whole days during which Holly could destroy my world, my life, my

nana

and there’s absolutely nothing can do about it.

“Come on, Rosie,” Jack says gently. “Let’s go home.”

Home If such place even exists anymore

follow him gloomily back to the car.

can’t believe he let her go—he just let her go

But then, how could he stop her? sigh. She’s just