Chapter 49 

~Valeria ~ Father stares at Mother. “Meryl?” His voice breaks. “Is she… saying the truth?” “NO! No! She is a horrible girl! She is lying!” Mother looks crazed. I slowly shake my head. “I am not. You know I am not.” Father stands, leaving Mother on the ground. “I know when you lie, Meryl.” “Nooo!” Mother covers her face and begins to cry. Father slowly lifts his face to look at me. He is breaking, and in that moment, I wish I had never told him. “This is why she’s always hated me,” I tell him. He takes a deep breath. “But I never did,” he says. “I never hated you. As a fool, I put my work above you. But you are my daughter, and you will always be.” He gets close, hugs me, and kisses my head. “Now, please, give me a moment with your mother.” Oh, how I wish it were her whom I was not related to. I hug him back. A real father‑and‑daughter hug, and it feels so good. I leave the room and head downstairs in search of Raphael. It takes me a while, but I manage to find him. “We need to talk,” I