My friend studies me for a while before appreciating that I mean what I’m saying. She sighs, then takes a bite of stew. “I understand. But for the record, Alice, I’m not siding with Darian in the least. I simply want you to be happy.”
“This is as happy as I can be,” I assure her. “I’ve come a long way from the girl I used to be. I’m content with that. I can’t ask for more. But Darian is and will always be a threat to Mira. I can never let him into her life.”
“What if you talk to him and can understand—”
“That won’t happen,” I reply abruptly. “The anger inside of me is a horrifying thing, Mary. I want to hate him. I need to hate him because if I don’t, I’ll be too ashamed to look myself in the eye. After that crushing humiliation, forgiveness is out of the question. What kind of weak-spi
