Julian lifted his tear-streaked face, his voice thick with bitter regret, "Chloe, I was way too hard on you when it came to Brinley's case. I'm sorry. For every bit of harm I caused you, I'll spend the rest of my life making it right."
He took a desperate step forward, reaching out toward me. "But we've relied on each other for so many years. You mean more to me than my own life. I got you through those unbelievably harsh years, didn't I? How could you say such a cruel thing... that I'm not important to you anymore? Have you forgotten what Dad charged us with before he left?"
How could I ever forget? The last thing Dad said before he was swept away by the dark water was that we had to look out for each other.
But Dad loved me more than anything. If he knew all the pain I'd endured, woul
