Page 88 of Gone for You

“Valeria wrote you a letter,” Dad says, coming to stand next to me.

“I don’t want it.”

“I think you do. You need to read it, maybe get some closure of your own.”

“Dad. I don’t want it. I. Don’t. Care. She didn’t give a shit enough to do anything about it until she was dying. She was only trying to make herself feel better before she died. I found closure long ago, Dad.”

“I don’t think you did. And you don’t know that she was only trying to make herself feel better,” he tries to argue, but he knows he’s wrong.

“If she were still alive, would this letter have ever been written? Would I have ever known that I have a half-sister out there somewhere or that Valeria was here this entire time?”

“She’s here.”

“What?” I whisper and Liv gasps.

“Your sister. She’s here. In Liberty. She’s been living here for a few years.”

I slide onto the floor, back resting against the cupboard doors, head dropped between my knees.

I laugh. “Of course she is. And let me guess, she doesn’t want to know me, either.”

Do I sound bitter? Yup. But it is what it is.

“I’m sorry, Ethan.”

Holy crap. She actually doesn’t want to know me. I was kind of joking.

I raise my head, look up at my dad. The only constant I’ve had in my life. He’s been there every single day, without question. No matter what I was going through, I knew Dad would have my back. “She seriously doesn’t want to know me?”

“I think she’ll change her mind. It’s all too… fresh, right now.”

“Wow. I don’t even know what to do with this. If she didn’t want anything to do with me, why did she call you to tell you Valeria died?”

“She was following her mom’s wishes. The entire situation confuses me, too, son. I’ll be honest here, I don’t know if I’m mad or happy that Valeria reached out. It would have been a lot easier if I’d never found any of this out but I’m praying that soon Chloe will be open to meeting you and maybe you can eventually get answers to some of the questions you’ve had all your life.”

“Chloe?” Liv asks.

Dad looks at her and nods. “Yeah?”

“It’s probably a coincidence because it’s not like only one person in the world is named Chloe, but the girl who did my hair for Lily’s wedding was named Chloe. And…” she trails off, like she’s thinking, “No, it couldn’t have been her. That was just yesterday morning and the one who did my hair was really happy and bubbly. I even mentioned your name and she didn’t have some weird reaction. Didn’t act like a woman whose mom was sick or had just heard about a brother who she’d never met.”

I’m irrationally annoyed that she even brought it up if it couldn’t have been the same person but I suck in any snarky remarks. I don’t know why I feel this sudden irritation to Liv. She’s everything and yet, I just have this feeling, that she’ll leave me, too. That the first sign of trouble or conflict, she’ll go running.

* * *

“Are you going to the funeral?”Liv asks after she gets her face washed. Given everything that happened, she decided to stay with me a few more days. I didn’t ask her to, but here she is. In my space. Two days ago, I would have been thrilled. Now, though, I just want to be alone.

I shoot daggers at Liv. She should be used to it now. After all, I haven’t looked at her with anything but disdain since we were at my dad’s house yesterday morning. I’ve barely said two words to her, actually.

I lean against my dresser, cross my feet at the ankles, palms on either side of my butt. “Why the hell would I go to the funeral?”

She walks into my bedroom rubbing her lotion into her hands. “Because it’s your mom?”

Shaking my head, I say, “No. She gave birth to me. She isn’t my mom. And Chloe made it clear she doesn’t want me there, either. So no, I’m not going to the funeral of a woman who never gave two shits about me before she died.”

“Ethan,” she says, pity in her tone as she sits on the bed. I hate pity.

“Don’t talk to me like I’m someone who deserves all this sympathy for the loss of someone I never knew. I don’t care that Valeria died. She was dead to me a long time ago.”

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