Carter Reed 2

A third memory—I could hear AJ saying to this same man, “She’s my sister. You can’t take her from me.”

The man said, “Neither girl is safe with Coralea. We both know that. I’m taking Andrea with me. Cora won’t fight me. She knows she’ll lose, but Ally. Ally’s her big sister.”

“She’s my sister.”

“You know what I mean. We shouldn’t separate the girls. They should live together.”

“You just said Cora would fight you on that.”

“Yes, but Aaron, we both know you have no rights to your sister. You’re not an adult. You have no guardianship over Ally.”

“We have the same dad. Isn’t that enough?”

“Not against her mother. If you fight Cora, Ally will go into the foster system.”

“Whatever. She might be better off there than anywhere else.”

“Let me fight for her. I have the money. I can petition the court to take both girls, not just my daughter.”

“No. Ally’s my sister. She belongs with me.”

“She’s not with you. She’s with Cora. We both know that’s a disaster waiting to happen. You can visit your sister. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of—”

AJ yelled, “I said no! I know what you’re planning. You’re going to take her out of state and hope she doesn’t remember this place. You’re not going to take me with you, and I can’t afford to go myself. Any way you slice it, you’re taking my sister away from me. I’m not on board with that. Stop asking me to do it.”

“Wait,” I spoke without realizing it.

The man stiffened before turning to look at me. His wife turned with him, a confused frown on her face. But there was no confusion on his face. He knew me, just like I knew him.

I pointed at him, and a deep swirl of emotion began twisting inside me. He—this guy—he knew AJ. He’d spoken to him. He was… I looked at him closely. He looked the same except his hair had twinges of silver in it now, combed to the side, and he’d put on a few pounds. He’d seemed so old to me then, but looking at him now, I realized he must’ve been in his thirties. He had been my age now.

“You’re Andrea’s father.”

His wife gasped. Her hand pressed against her mouth.

They both looked middle class, but I remembered the headlines. He was a wealthy hotelier. “Andrea said she was adopted,” I said softly. That couldn’t be true, though.

“Oh, dear.” His wife sounded stricken. She looked up at him. “Edward, she remembers you. You said she wouldn’t.”

He touched her shoulder and squeezed it. “Because I didn’t think she would. That’s a good memory of yours,” he said to me.

I was still filling in the pieces. But the more he spoke, the more memories came to light. They had started to fit into place.

“I couldn’t remember Andrea because she didn’t grow up with me, did she?” I asked. “You took her early. When she was little.”

“She was five. That’s when I stepped in. I had to. Cora was abusive, and I tried with you, but your brother wouldn’t allow it.”

AJ. Relief crashed over me, but a surge of anger was on its tail. “You—she came to me declaring that AJ had kidnapped me. You knew better. You let her think that.”

He shook his head.

My voice rose. “Don’t lie to me. She took away his memory. He cared for me and loved me. He did the best he could. He should be honored, not disgraced, and you could’ve stopped all of it. You could’ve—you offered to take me. Why didn’t you bring him, too? Why did you keep all of us apart?”

“I…” His voice cracked. “I couldn’t, Ally.”

I hissed and stepped back at that name. I felt slapped across the face.

He didn’t seem to notice. He was still shaking his head, a hand cupping the side of his face like he was in pain. “Aaron was in the system. He was a lot older than both of you girls. If he’d come with me, it would’ve been years before everything was approved. His dad—your dad too—he was long gone, and Cora had kicked Aaron out. She denied he was hers, though it was plain as day. All three of you—Aaron, Andy, and you—you all had the same dark eyes. They all came from her, but I couldn’t stay. If I’d waited too long with Andy, she would’ve changed her mind. Once I got the go-ahead, I fled. Aaron couldn’t come with us, and he wouldn’t let us take you without him… So we left you behind. We always wondered what had happened to you. Went back every year or so, but you were already gone.”

“Andrea thinks you adopted her.”

He lifted a shoulder. A defeated air hung over him. “It was easier to lie to her about the whole thing than admit the truth. She would’ve looked at me like you’re doing now.”

“And what was that lie, exactly?” A voice behind them spoke up.

Andrea had gotten out of bed. She’d wrapped a blanket over her shoulders, and she clutched it in front of her.

Her hair was still matted in blood. Her skin was pale, but she looked at her father with the same heated emotion that I had. The strength of that anger brought some color to her cheeks, though she swayed on her feet for a beat.

The nurse stepped close to her, and at the same moment her parents did. Andrea shot out her hand and hissed, “Don’t. Don’t touch me.”

The nurse held her arm as her parents stepped away.