Page 101 of The Secrets We Built Together

The awkward silence stretched between us, years of separation and hurt forming an invisible wall. Xander cleared his throat and stepped forward. "I'm Xander Farrington, Blake's fiancé."The lie rolled off his tongue so easily now. "It's nice to meet you, Madison."

She shook his hand, her gaze assessing. "You as well."

We moved further into the cottage in silence. None of us seemed to really know what to do in this situation.

"We have some paperwork to take care of?" Madison gestured to the table, all business now.

"Yes." I struggled to keep my voice steady. "But first, I think we need to talk."

Her shoulders tensed. "I'm not sure what there is to discuss. I thought my letter explained everything."

"Your letter explained nothing!" The words burst out of me, louder than I'd intended. Amelia's head turned toward the sound, her eyes wide and curious. I lowered my voice. "You abandoned your baby on my doorstep and disappeared. You don't think that deserves more than a hastily written note?"

Madison sighed, sinking onto the couch. "What do you want me to say, Blake? That I'm a terrible person? That I made a horrible mistake? I know all of that."

"Why?" I demanded, sitting across from her. "Why leave her with me? Why not our parents? They've always been so supportive of you."

A bitter laugh escaped her. "You really think they would have accepted their perfect daughter having a baby out of wedlock? With a man whose name she doesn't even know?"

"They accepted you doing anything else."

"Because I played by their rules!" She pushed a hand through her hair, messing up its perfect style. "I was thegooddaughter, the one who did everything right. Until I didn't. And trust me, they wouldn't have been nearly as forgiving as you seem to think. You escaped, and you didn’t look back. You haveno ideawhat it was like in that house after."

Xander had moved to stand behind me, one hand resting on my shoulder. I drew strength from his presence as I faced my sister.

"So you dumped your problems on me instead?"

Her face crumpled. "I didn't think of it that way. I thought... I thought you would understand. You were always so strong, so independent. You stood up to them when the rest of us were too afraid. And when I saw how you'd built this life, with these people who love you..." She trailed off, glancing at Xander. "I knew Amelia would be safe with you. Loved."

"You could have asked," I said quietly. "You could have called, or written, or done literally anything other than leaving your baby on a doorstep."

"I know." She looked down at her hands. "I was ashamed. Terrified. I'd spent my whole life being exactly who our parents wanted me to be, and when I finally broke free in Paris, I went a little crazy. The drinking, the parties, the men... it felt like I was making up for lost time. And then I got pregnant, and suddenly everything was crashing down around me."

"So you ran."

She nodded, tears filling her eyes. "I couldn't be a mother, Blake. Not then. Maybe not ever. I looked at her and all I could think was that I would ruin her life the way our parents tried to ruin ours. I couldn't do that to her."

I wanted to stay angry. I wanted to hold onto the righteous indignation that had been fueling me for weeks. But looking at my sister—really looking at her—I saw past the polished exterior to the scared girl underneath. The one who'd grown up in the same house of quiet cruelty that I had, who'd just chosen a different way to survive it.

"Why did you want to do this in person?" I asked, softer this time.

She wiped at her eyes, careful not to smudge her makeup. "Because I owe you that much, at least. And because... I needed to see her one more time. To make sure she was okay."

Her gaze drifted to Amelia, who was watching her with curious eyes. Something passed between them, a flicker of recognition that made my chest tighten. Did babies remember their birth mothers? Could Amelia somehow sense who Madison was?

"She's more than okay," Xander said, his voice gentle but firm. "She's thriving. Blake is an incredible mother."

Madison's eyes met mine, and I saw the gratitude there, mingled with deep regret. "I never doubted she would be."

I went to Xander’s side, reaching for Amelia and he passed her into my arms. As I cradled her against my chest the way I'd been doing since the moment Madison had left her in my care, I grasped onto reality and took a moment to calm down. The weight of her, the smell of her baby shampoo, the soft warmth of her little body—it had all become as familiar to me as breathing.

"Would you like to hold her?" I asked, surprising myself with the offer. "Before we sign the papers?"

Madison's lips parted in shock. "Are you sure?"

I wasn't. Every instinct screamed at me to keep Amelia close, to protect what was mine. But Madison wasn't a villain in this story, just a broken person trying to find her way, the same as the rest of us.

"Just for a minute," I said, moving toward her.

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