learly failing to connect the two events logically

"You did this! You went to my mother and f

pain as she clawed at my cheek, drawing blood. The force of her attack knocked me backward, and my head

is voice, only a calculated performance. He held her, but his eyes were on me, a m

t," he said to me, as if I were a servant who had witnessed an embarrassing outb

f, not for her mother. "He ruined everything!" she

know what' s good for you, you' ll go to that surgeon first thing in the

er, a united front of cruelty and delusion. They left the room, their fo

s al

wn my cheek. I looked at my hand. It was bleeding, the splinters from Leo' s toy car embedd

y pocket with the drawing and the pajamas. Then, I began to walk th

e trash. I walked into the closet, a massive, room-sized space. In the back, behind rows of expensive suits that had been bought for 'L

gnize, with a kind smile. And a driver' s license. Noah Mill

the kitchen. I gathered every photograph of me, of 'Liam Hayes.' Photos of me with Jessica

ackyard. I piled them up. The smiling faces, the h

id in the garage and doused

es to black, curling ash. I watched until every last picture was gone. It wasn' t

ber. I almost ignored it, but somet

per. It was a voice I recognized fr

," I

. she had a heart attack after she called me. She told me everythi

r death. Another casualt

I called Jessica. I told her her mother was dead. Do you know what she said?

ll went do

ination. "For both of them. Evelyn and Leo. But I need you to do something for me. Get ou

d happened, about the attack, about the threats.

ll handle things here. They won' t

of ashes, the box with my old life on the seat next to me. I di

ted once, a secret spot away from the crowds. I took the small urn containing his ashes, whi

I dug a small hole in the sand, just above the tide line. I placed the urn ins

arse. "I' m so sorry I couldn' t protect you

the sand. I sat there for a long time, watchin

It was held at a small, private chapel. I stood in t

face a stone mask of grief and rage.

her again. She was laughing. She and Liam were on their way to t

e told me that she hoped my mother would rot i

ent pale. She swayed on he

I said, rushi

er breathing shallow. Her las

let h

e. The doctor said it was a massive stroke

lty had claimed