"Every time you look at him, you see Helen's lie. Why should you cling to either of them? Why not let them go and choose what's real… what's right in front of you?"
She glanced toward Gia, then back at him, her eyes gleaming with calculated certainty. "Me. Gia. We are your family. We're the ones who stayed. We're the ones who never turned our backs. You don't need Helen's ghost or that bastard child to define you anymore. Hate them, Jack. Spit them out of your life, and hold on to us instead."
Gia's mouth dropped open. "Mom!" Her voice was sharp, horrified. "Do you even hear yourself? What the hell are you even saying?"
Jackson stared at Celeste as if she had just stabbed him. His lip trembled, his hands shaking. "You… want me to hate them?"
"Yes," Celeste said, calm as ice.
