Page 159 of Taken Away

“Last one,” she said.

She handed it to him.

He unfolded it.

His eyes moved quickly across the page.

Twice. Then a third time.

He refolded it with more care than he’d opened it.

“When did you find this?”

“An hour ago.”

He nodded.

“Okay.”

Silence settled between them.

For a moment, he simply stood there, one hand braced on the desk, looking at nothing.

Then he exhaled slowly.

“Tell me how you’re doing,” he said, “before we talk about what any of this means.”

Aubrey let out a short, humorless laugh.

“I don’t know anything anymore,” she said.

“That about sums it up,” he said dryly. “Emotionally?”

She swallowed.

“My aunt paid for college,” she said. “Four years. And never told me.”

He nodded.

“And my mother,” Aubrey continued, “spent my entire childhood sending these back.”

Her voice shook.

“Also never told me.”

Declan’s expression didn’t change.

But his eyes softened.

“And Ted?” he asked.

“Ted made sure I went to Penn,” Aubrey said. “That’s all I know.”

“Right now,” Declan said.

She nodded.

“Right now,” she agreed.