The Twins He Destroyed
nda' s past, her likely in
Brenda, or worse, if he believed I had put her up
schemes," another attempt to undermine
e Brenda was conce
d sacrificed her health for him. Any attack on th
" I said, the words tastin
estate. Leave all
ating atmosphere, the ghost of
a chance, a life aw
yes filled with a mixture o
said softly. "Perhap
Brenda, before the bitterness,
naive. I believed in his
rned me about the Thornes, about th
cerns, convinced our
nored the red flags, the whispers about his father's inf
ic tale of saving Ethan from a capsi
at the cold water had triggered a ra
nd grateful, became h
that, restless, easily bored. Brenda was ne
fy her place in his heart and in the Thorne dynasty, es
n slip away from me,
together became more o
tings, praise me endlessly in fron
Ethan' s resentment. He felt con
his life, and by extension, he accus
of her desperate efforts, and the final nail
ly chosen Brenda, I had accepted the humili
of them, all vying for his attention, f
lled with petty jealousi
till loved him, because I hoped he
nor needed me, a familiar face in t
, I was partly na
the boy he had been, no
on, my understanding, wou
fantasy, a stubborn re
ns to trap him into a marriage he didn' t want, trea
r of his grandmother' s interference, of
ed, poisoning any cha
like me, women who were perhaps pale imitations of Bren
nt of me, a clear mess
s, each one a fresh stab of pain, a fresh reminder o
andscape of neglect and