081: The Whole Story

Lara

The nurse—Violet—begins the tale with a sigh.

“I’ve heard it so many times that I know it by heart,” she reveals. Her eyes are distant and she seems very sad, so much that I can’t help but feel the same way. We’re seated near the edge of Lucy’s bed. She hasn’t looked up once.

“May I ask how you found out that you were her daughter?” she asks me. “I mean, for years, there were no leads. I know this because Lucy’s mate never stopped looking.”

I shrug. “The news came from the very man who plucked me from her arms. My father, the man who raised me.”

Violet’s eyes widen. “Goddess. This is terrible!”

“It is,” I agree.

My eyes fill with tears and I lower them so she won’t see them but she already has. She reaches over and grabs my hand. She says, “I can tell this is very painful for you.”

I nod. “It is.”

“Well, maybe I can start by telling you who that woman was and why she ended up in this terrible place. I don’t know how much you know. But this woman has been in pain from the day s