That was all.
I looked at Ray.
“If you really heard about me, then you know I didn’t come here to prove anything.”
His eyes moved toward Dustin.
“I believe you.”
Dustin shook his head.
“This is ridiculous.”
I took one step toward him.
He straightened.
I stopped well outside arm’s reach.
“My daughter is in the hospital.”
For the first time, he looked uncomfortable.
Only for a second.
Then the smirk returned.
“I told you. She fell.”
“Maybe she did.”
That surprised him.
It surprised everyone.
I could almost hear the younger version of myself objecting.
But standing there, with anger burning so hot that my hands felt cold, I finally understood something.
If I touched Dustin, I would give him exactly what he needed.
A story.
He would become the victim.
I would become the unstable father.
And Marcy—already frightened, already uncertain—would be dragged into a mess that belonged to us instead of being allowed to make decisions about her own life.
