Page 337 of Sins of the Heart

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of a sort, but nothing more. She was the child’s mother.

His wife?

No. She was someone he had known but not loved.

She was the child’s and he was the child’s, but he and

the woman did not belong to each other.

But the child washisand he…loved her. Yes. The

pain, the agony that burned in his heart. It was love.

And it was fear. No, more than that, it was sheer terror.

They would hurt her. Cut her. Because she was his.

Him, or her. One of them would die. But he couldn’t

die, could he?

Him, or her.

He had to find a way.

He thought of his brothers. He had brothers. He knew

it. He reached for them now and found only darkness.

Endless, cold nothing. What were their names? He

didn’t know. He’d lost their names in the endless nothing.

He reached for the swing, for the child, but she was

gone. Nothing there. Just the ghostly trail of her laughter.

The light receded and it was dark once more. Not

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as dark as before. Light enough that he could see robed

and cowled figures.

There was danger here. For her.

And something else. Betrayal.

A voice behind him. Someone he couldn’t see. But

he knew that voice. It was familiar. It was—

“Daddy! You came for me!” A soft, warm little body

flinging herself against his legs. Tiny arms wrapping

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