Fishe

red down the hall. Her summons of Evelyn Hayes

as trembling with rage, muttering, "Insubordination." Julian

d to me, her eyes harder than I had ever

olf was howling in my chest, a raw, agonized s

nging herself to eye level with the boy. Her voice was calm, but it held a

to shrink into Julianne's arms, but the flicke

defense. "He's just a b

Eleanor cut her off col

t into tears, admitting between sobs that he was angry that Dawn w

I had thought it was an accident. I never imagined

e. For the first time, I wondered how much of Tuan's mal

mmand. "Take your son, and you wi

Tuan by the arm, ignoring Julianne's pro

depth of my failure. I had hurt Dawn,

or, took a deep b

d at me with cold, dismissive

is resting

see her,"

ide the room, cool and dis

left hand wrapped in pristine white gauze. She saw

rcing him to look at her.

arfully, then mumbled

y. It was Tuan's fault, and it was my grandmother's. I shouldn't have... I shouldn

ent, she spoke. "I accept his apology. He's a child. I

was no forgiveness either. It was as if she were d

worse than a

alked to her and knelt, wanting

r hand back instinctivel

ore than any words she could have said. For the first time, I

see the damage. As I watched her, I noticed the dark bruising on her wrist, where she