Page 52 of A Scar To Open

Molly and I are sitting in bed. It’s dark, and I’m in pain. I was in the basement, but now I’m with her. She is hugging me and humming this same tune.

“I’ve spent the last fourteen years looking for you,” Molly says, sitting me up to hold my face. “I’m real, Milly. I promise.”

“But you… Dad said… Dad?” I say, looking around to find him. He comes over and kneels next to us to wrap us in a tight hug. The sob that cracks in his voice isn’t pain. We are not sad. This is the light breaking up the dark and the sun shining through.

“Oh, my girls,” Dad says as he pulls back.

“How did they find you?” I ask Molly.

“I was adopted by a couple in The Society. Raul tracked me from that hospital to when I popped up as Molly Gardner. It’s not a common name, so he was able to trace it to school pictures and compare it to yours. Then he just called me. I met him, and he told me the plan.”

“You did this in an afternoon?” I ask Raul.

“I did,” he says. “You just needed to know where to look. No one did because Mother-of-the-year over here made her seem like she didn’t exist.”

Dad and Molly help me stand up, and she turns to Mom. For the first time, Mom has fear in her eyes when Molly takes the gunfrom Alania. “You took them from me,” Molly says. “You erased me like I was nothing to you. You let people hurt her. Why?”

Mom opens her mouth to say something, but Molly lifts the pistol and pulls the trigger. My first reaction is to laugh. Not just like an inappropriate giggle, no, this is a hysterical belly laugh that has Molly laughing with me. Everyone else follows suit.

“We will have someone come clean this up,” Adrian says.

“I’m going to get Milly upstairs so she can relax. If you need us, just come up,” Grayson says.

We get upstairs, and Grayson helps me get changed into shorts and one of his shirts so Molly and I can sit on the bed facing one another.

“This is weird,” I say.

“Ask her what she went to school for,” Adam laughs. I raise an eyebrow.

“I just got my master’s in psychology,” Molly laughs.

“Hey, me too,” I say. “I want to get my doctorate.”

“Same,” Molly says. “We should do it together.”

“That would be fun,” I say before yawning.

“Okay, girls,” Grayson says. “Milly, you need some sleep.”

“Rude man, you aren’t the boss of us,” Molly laughs.

“Oh, God. They’re both brats,” Adam laughs.

“She needs rest, Molly. Take the guest room next to us and come in here and check on her anytime you want.”

“Means you have to wear clothes to bed,” I tell him.

“Damn. That’s right,” Grayson laughs. “Lie down, Milly.”

“Blah blah blah,” I grumble before moving under the covers. Molly comes over and hugs me before walking out. Grayson lies in front of me so I can snuggle into his chest. Adam lies behind him to do the same while Ace is behind me with his arm around my waist.

“I love you guys,” I mumble.

“We love you too, Milly,” Grayson says, kissing my head.

I feel like I am finally free. Free to live. To heal. To grow. I lost so much time with Dad and Molly, but we have all of the time in the world now to make up for what was taken from us. We all have a scar to open, but I’d do it again to feel this kind of peace.