HER'

to wipe off the moisture on them. I'd always wanted to hear the story of my birth, but n

o drink?" my father as

ease," I said, unabl

it in the sink hanging on the wall and filled it u

nervously as I recei

e you ready to listen no

onse and drank s

only six so that's roughly forty nine years ago. Yeah. Your grand

ed before I cou

bout that,"

ng to Mexico triggered a strange illness in him and he spent mo

d see the weight of the loss on h

I knew right away that our friendship was meant to be... We had nothing and we both came from nothing. But we saw the world like an open buffet before us, ripe and

o me, I stepped back and gave him my blessings. At this time, we'd grown close, myself, Austin, and Sarah. When they became a couple months later, I was overjoyed for them both. For me, their friendship remained priceless. I loved your mother. I'm not going to lie about that.

sh we'd gotten married instead... you'd be a mother'. But it made me feel guilty and evil that I could think such in spite of my friend's plight. I chastised myself by making sure I encouraged Austin every other day. We hoped for a miracle... Until he reached out to me. He asked for help to get Sarah pregnant. I found the idea incredulous and kicked against it but he reassured me it was fine and that all I had to do was donate

ame to me and begged me to promise to let him keep you-since technically I was your only living parent and fate had been kind enough to prosper me over the years- I found it difficult to do. But I di

filled with am ocean of emotions, all of which threatened to burst out of m

a little moistness in my cheek did I realize I'd begun crying at some point. "I had to live my whole li

to keep the truth. Somehow, he'd learned of my subdued jealousy and the fact that his wife shared the same sentiment. It was the onl

n agreement, right? Why did you decide to reach out to me

e felt bad for the way things turned out with you after he remarried. He knew his wife, your stepmother, wasn't exactly n

s in fact a spy. I sent her in to keep an eye on you because I never trusted the man you decided to settle with. I did that because I love yo

e perfect sense- how Mrs. Smith had taken a liking to me like her own

st on my head. If my father truly loved me like he claimed, why didn't he show up any earlier to save

rocess. I... I need to go," I d

's talk about this, please. You don't have to

I marched out of the house. I remem

erialized from a corner of the house. One look at me a

t over to the

," I said, trying hard to ke

out then," he nodd

e front of the house, hi

promise no one would disturb you until you'

just can't,"

rought down my suitcase and helped me to the ex

he driver once I'd settled in and my s