Chapter 0816

Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected?

After a long silence, I found my voice. "Why didn't he ever tell me that?"

"He didn't want you to see his weakness, I suppose," Angelica replied with a small, sad smile. "He wanted you to respect him, look up to him, the way a daughter should see her father."

Her words stung, although I knew she didn't intend them to. The truth was, I hadn't gotten nearly enough time with my father to look up to him or see any side of him at all, really. In just a few short months, I had lost him.

A familiar ache blossomed in my chest as I contemplated just how much I had lost by his passing. How much I still didn't know, how much I might never know, about the man who had brought me into this world and the legacy I now shouldered in his wake.

My hand strayed unconsciously to the swell of my stomach as a new thought struck me. I couldn't imagine losing her for so long, just as my father had lost me. I wanted her to know me, the real me.

my twin sister. Suddenly,

rest, Nina," she murmured. "You've

go, then slowly rose myself to stretch my aching back. A walk

familiar path to the small family graveyard tucked off in the nearby forest clearing. I wasn't even fully aware that I was going there until I found myself standing in front of

I murmured, reaching out to trace the elegantly carved letters spelling out his

chest as best I could, staring unseeingly at

a small voice. "Maybe then I wouldn't feel

hoping against hope for some sort of sign or reassurance from beyond the

was nothing but

own way, even through the tears that

The Novel will be updated daily. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

Comments ()

0/255