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He nodded. "But so do you. You know, you're
not totally innocent in all this?'
She looked up at him sharply.
"We have to find ways to forgive each other if
we're to go on," he said.
He pulled back his shoulders.
"I'd better go up to Gisselle," he said. "And then
afterward, I'd better go see my brother. I'll go to him
as many times as I have to until I've gotten him to
forgive me and to start his real recovery."
Daphne looked away. Daddy smiled at me and
then left to go up to my sister to confirm and confess
the truth.
For a long moment I just stood there looking at
my stepmother. Finally, she turned toward me slowly,
her eyes no longer clouded with tears, her lips no
longer trembling.
"You haven't destroyed me," she said firmly.
"Don't think you have."
"I don't want to destroy you, Daphne. I just
want you to stop trying to destroy me. I can't say I
forgive you for the dreadful thing you tried to do to
me, but I'm willing to start anew and try to get along
with you. If for no other reason than to make my
father happy," I said.
"And maybe someday," I added, although it
seemed impossible to me at the moment, "I'll call you
Mother and be able to mean it."
She turned back to me, her eyes narrow, her face taut. "You've charmed everyone you've met.
Would you try to charm me, even after today?" "That's really up to you, isn't it . . Mother?" I
