Merrick cleared his throat of the illusionary lump made of false feelings. Arms resting on his knees, he sighed. "I owe you an explanation for that as well. It didn't occur to me how much Delphine's existence affected you."
"I never favoured one of you over the other. Delphine was the result of my mistake. I never intended to acknowledge her. But I found that her mother was abusive. Whether it's a mistake or not, the innocent child has no part in it. So I had no choice but to bring her home. Rachel agreed to keep her while I searched for a home that would take her in. Unfortunately, I was too late. Rachel was gone and I got caught up in too many things on my head to return. You had to be burdened with raising a child at a young age yourself. I am sorry for that too. I couldn't be what yo
