I let out a bitter laugh, sharp as glass. “You’ve despised my parents for as long as I can remember. Now that they’re gone, shouldn’t you finally feel satisfied?”
John’s lips parted as if to speak, but no words came. For a second, something flickered in his eyes painfully, maybe regret but it was gone before I could catch it.
Patricia blinked between us, confused. She tilted her head and asked softly, “Mary, weren’t you with that boy your family took in? The one they practically raised as their own… even adopted?”
CRASH.
John’s hand jolted against the table, sending a vase shattering to the ground. The sharp c***k echoed through the room, but it was his face that made my chest tighten. He’d gone pale, the color draining from him completely.
I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. Instead, I
