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The same photo as in the bedroom—the happy family:
Jack, Megan, Holly and Ben.
Suddenly the enormity of what I’ve done crashes
down on me. I’ve ripped this whole family apart—not just
Holly’s life, but Jack’s and Megan’s and even little Ben’s.
And there’s absolutely no way to go back now, to undo it.
“I’m so sorry,” blurt out. “This was never—I didn’t
mean—I didn’t even know about Holly until last night.
thought the other baby died, and
just wanted to find
my real parents …”
Jack nods slowly but doesn’t look up.
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“Shhh, sweetie. It’s okay.” Megan pats my hand
gently. “Do your par—do the people looking after you
know you’re here now?”
shake my head. “She thinks I’m traveling—I didn’t
want her to worry …”
look at Jack, my throat tight.
“But—but had to tell you.” look at the photo, my heart
aching. “I had to tell you …”
Jack nods, still staring at the table.
“Because there’s more.”
He looks up, his face worn and weary. “More?”
Andy squeezes my shoulder.
“Perhaps whatever it is could wait, sweetie?” Megan
says. “It’s lot to deal with as it is.”
shake my head, determined to get it all out and
over with. Any delay will just cause more grief, more pain.
“No. No, I’m sorry,” sigh. “I would never have come
crashing into your life if it weren’t for this—if it weren’t
important.”
Jack holds my gaze, his eyes tired, fearful. “I’m
listening.”
take deep breath.
“Have you ever heard of Huntington’s disease?”
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Holly
“Tell me you love me.”
Josh looks up, surprised, as his bedroom door slams
against the wall.
“Tell me you love me!” demand, standing over him,
tears scorching my eyes, blurring my vision. “Tell me you
love me, no matter what.”
“Of course love you, baby.” Josh scrambles to his
feet and pulls me close. “Hey, what’s going on? What’s the
matter?”
He folds me into his arms, and
can’t speak, the
tears pouring too fast now, my breath hot gasps against
his shirt.
“Hey, baby girl, it’s okay, it’s all right.” He pulls me
closer, tighter. “Shhh now. What happened? Is it your
dad?”
My dad The sobs surge harder, swelling painfully in
my throat. He’s not— he’s not my dad!
“Hey, sweetheart, it’s okay, it’s all right.” Josh
brushes away my tears, his eyes serious, sad. “He doesn’t
approve, does he?”
“What?” frown, confused. “No! No, it’s not that.”
swallow hard, stroke his cheek. “It’s not you.”
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“Well
what, then?” Josh frowns. “Baby, whatever
it is we can fix it, okay?” he soothes, his eyes deep in mine.
“I love you.” He kisses me gently. “I’ll always love you.”
“Really?” search his eyes.
“Of course.” He smiles, brushing my hair from my
face.
“Even when I’m old and wrinkly?”
He grins. “Even when your boobs hit the floor and
you leave trail of drool behind your walker.”
“Eww!” smile. “Promise?” sniff.
He cups my face in his hands. “Holly Marie Woods,
will love you till my dying day.”
stare at him, my insides twisting harder than ever.
Holly Marie Woods
My eyes fill and
screw them shut, the tears
streaming down my cheeks as my world collapses around
me.
“Holly?” Josh panics. “What is it? Holly?”
That’s not even my name
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Rosie
“Wow,” Jack says when I’ve finished. He rubs his
brow as Megan strokes his back soothingly. “Wow.”
“I’m so sorry,”
mumble, lost for words now
everything’s spilled out in the open. Andy looks at me with
small reassuring smile.
“So Holly …” Jack trails off. “There’s
chance she
might develop this
this disease …?”
“There’s fifty percent chance, yes.” look away.
“But she’s so healthy
so beautiful …” He gazes at
the picture by the sink. “My Holly-berry …”
nod, my heart aching with guilt.
“Okay.” He swallows. “So what do we do if she has?
Chemo? Therapy? Drugs?” He looks at me.
shake my head miserably. “There’s research going
on all the time, new developments, but at the moment …”
hesitate. “I’m sorry, there is no cure.”
“What?” Jack stares at me. “There must be—there
has to be!” He slams his fist against the table, jumps from
his chair. “I’ll sue!” he rages. “I’ll sue that bloody
hospital—this is their fault!” He grabs the phone and my
heart leaps in panic.
“I don’t think that’ll help anyone, Jack,” Megan
soothes, resting her hand gently on his. “Besides, let’s do
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the DNA test first—make sure we’ve got our facts
straight.”
Jack drops the phone and collapses at the table,
head in his hands, clawing at his hair. “I can’t just
she
can’t
she’s my daughter, my little girl …” He trails off,
wiping his tears roughly. Megan slips her arm around him,
kisses his shoulder.
wish I’d never come here, wish I’d never found
out, wish I’d never been born. This man is breaking into
pieces before me and it’s all my fault. My chest tightens
and all want to do is run.
“But you know,” Andy says gently, warm by my
side. “You know, there’s fifty percent chance that Holly’s
completely unaffected—that she’s perfectly healthy. Right,
Rose?”
“Right.” nod gratefully at him. “And even if she has
inherited the gene, she’ll probably be perfectly fine for
years—decades, even. It can start really late, Mum was in
her …”
hesitate, remembering how Mum’s early
symptoms were overlooked. “She wasn’t diagnosed till her
fifties.”
Jack looks up, searching my eyes carefully. “Your
mother …” He clears his throat. “You watched her die of
this disease?”
An icy clamp closes over my heart as think of Mum
staggering around the prom, ranting at the neighbors,
lying in her hospital bed
herself and yet so very, very far
from herself.
close my eyes, swallow, and nod. “Yes.”
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Slowly, he places his large hand over mine. “Then
I’m the one who’s sorry.”
look at him then, this man whose life has just been
shattered, his eyes filled with sadness and compassion—
for me. He’s sorry for me My throat swells as he squeezes my hand.
“I’m so sorry …,” say again, the only words left in
my vocabulary, as the tears flood up from nowhere.
Then, suddenly, I’m folded in his arms, breathing in
the musky smell of his shirt, his hold tight, protective.
“It’s not your fault,” he soothes, stroking my hair.
“Okay? It’s not anybody’s fault.”
close my eyes, trying to convince myself he’s right,
that haven’t just single-handedly destroyed his life— all
their lives. That this was the right thing to do, not just for me, but for Jack, for Holly
My gaze snags on the window
and freeze, stung with guilt, as Holly stares back at me,
her eyes wide, pale as ghost against the glass.
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Holly
“Holly!” Dad calls after me as race away down the
steps, my heart on fire, pounding as hard as my footsteps.
“Holly, wait!” he calls again. “Holly, please!”
shake my head fiercely, trying to erase the image