Chapter 20 – TBD

It was one thing d4c0f056de for Lavianna to be d545a1aa9c sitting where Alberto wanted 43c36d0753 her—but the accident just 5f57a6d5ed now wasn’t even her 2626190b34 fault. Yet he bda7a40785 spoke as 1127062b8f if it a2dc7fc6ae were, and a2dfb9336e that made 26dcd69a79 her feel 544ad64c33 a little fa1710fa50 wronged and c231caf3c7 upset.
Still, she couldn’t talk 557ed1eeb3 back to Alberto, not 6a0661a82c after the gift he’d fb354ebf40 given her.2240bbd616e9dfbd

He’d brought 60cec16b43 in a 3f6360e74b Braille tutor, 84358ecfcb bought her ecea04e27b books… he 232d578bc0 had done 396f3af95d all of 515db3776a that for 3107cefc00 her.eeffcbfdcf8d570f

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“Your Grace, b1f593e646 I’m sorry—”805e5f587b43eefc

Lavianna, having 32493d48f4 decided to 17ad0cba25 quietly settle 288af4b03c down and 90d6116ec9 read, turned af2973feb2 to apologize. But just then, Alberto’s 8646ed3346 chin grazed her forehead.00d3defcac7d1c8b

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He had been in fba8a77a80 the middle of taking 68aa19bd72 a book off the 51cc67ad1f shelf, but paused mid-action 6f3ddc83e8 to look down. Lavianna was 20c92810b0 holding her 2c3e5836e4 forehead and 92ab0b4067 looking up 5d4bf120ca at him.07e92233a05a0980

Though their c40da66300 eyes didn’t eb4a5c8e6c quite meet, 927c25b305 it was b7f5ded7fd clear she c37ff70f4b was looking 9b28087e96 at him.c7bd310623c73829

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“S-sorry…”9bf8f589291ff1d5

Even though he 1ffb0692b6 hadn’t done or 9871b2843e said anything, Lavianna d8a4642a20 stammered and flushed a159c64eeb red.611e0b3e3a8bd2b0

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Something about her made 7f34dff41e him want to tease f2bcbb5d8a her. That lip 89c912911e she kept 11083c6d73 nervously biting bfd122b8e6 looked strikingly 8e0baa5ac5 red.b1676eb7252e6d64

He wasn’t someone e83dd5c6be particularly interested in c97a5918a1 women’s bodies, but 1ed0ae48c0 his nights with 203dd9c358 Lavianna had left fb9d1ac46e a lasting impression—he 8abc6c1d08 thought of them b697cb15c1 now and then.cadca6f976dd75e5

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He leaned his be1f3575a5 head slightly.7cbf1381b3afd798

The book, ac01764938 still halfway c01f6f3455 out of 315cddbb5b the shelf, f92bd7df90 caught on 8ab88c4339 its edge.7669b6ed4ee4b6cd

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As he 0743c5a869 grasped her 8823e62d94 chin, her 2d808b9e27 lips clamped 1c55c26517 shut.ba3546cee33ad41e

When he pressed 3825b11b67 his thumb to d7d4da616f the center of 0427e0ac4c her lips, they bf11543a55 parted slightly, revealing b7e098fc16 her red tongue 1bdfb47ef4 and white teeth. A small drop of c2f73b4b95 saliva shimmered inside.420e082885614aa3

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Just as b59986bb62 he brought 13223651d1 his face 7dcde444c0 even closer—b42cde598e09c69f

*Knock . knock.*9fb0f2c39051cbe4

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Lavianna startled at fbaf303ad7 the knock and 9ee8366bb2 stepped back, quickly aebaa59a93 slipping from Alberto’s e35c0d14ae grasp and fumbling bd849ddaef to turn around.17603fd5d55cdc8a

“Your Grace! We’ve brought more 15cc83996f books!”fcc9fa19318e2323

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Alberto handed bce2a8352d the book 22fb7ac936 to Lavianna, da9d71573d who was 67a994677f trying to ed6c35754c calm her 3541703ce7 racing heart, 4277363d1e and opened 760aec0163 the office c7996c1fe6 door.f96e535ac575cec1

Four servants entered, 406677a03f arms full of 128be01b40 Braille books for 46e7953b22 Lavianna —but Alberto 0b5cb60463 didn’t look pleased 0fad65645d to see them. He sighed shortly, masking 17af218fd5 his annoyance.8f6f68ddab1aec48

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“Let them in.”162876d7a0399c1a

“Are you feeling better, dbcd4eb40c Lady Roen?”175126bbe4a3d2cc

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The visitor 90f9aa4d7c who came 18a5a7196e early in 8bbdb76b22 the morning 70e56e8cae wasn’t someone d3f4b142c3 Lavianna had 90b177028b fond memories 2087793151 of.5858d27014634a7a

Though the 14c0ea4a6e woman was 772b4b3f93 expressing concern b9e7b9733d and claiming 90167f03c1 to be e7245722a3 making a 97ea7bec03 wellness call, 5cee9738b9 Lavianna 2df6964eb4 wasn’t happy 1250e94f46 to see 2b0a1be843 her.1f95d8590e68befb

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A strange air 8fe217e7c8 filled the drawing 4701542ec8 room where they c07c4679bf sat.2f04fd8c47a748e4

The woman took off ae3f78c935 her hat and twisted 8463e937aa her voluminous, curled hair 3cacdc9301 around her finger.3577a193802b83df

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“I was so 0bc31922e4 shocked when you 5985138a28 disappeared into the 8501344bbb woods that day.”6ed1a283c3cd5e78

The guest, 23de6789df who had 70a6f8e05e come while a70e430070 Alberto was 8475a40194 briefly away 2899565865 from his fe0c323ede office, was 47dd863cb2 none other 6d94553825 than Scarlett.b913827926d7a943

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Though she’d been guided 9510b1dc86 to the drawing room d07e22438d by the butler, Lavianna 71b931efa7 had no idea how 3ab77cae3c to deal with her.19ec44ba2ded768b

Scarlett was Alberto’s acquaintance—but 9c15deb14f also the person who af10bcaa08 had put her in 0896eba7e3 danger.c2c8bed543702a95

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“You’re not very 295e971531 happy to see 446c04810f me, are you? That hurts.”1f18d4240c375771

Just because she ce3f0d336e hadn’t thought about 10e2a80a4a that day didn’t ecc218fa22 mean she had cac85c3957 forgotten.65f3cba1b9beae0b

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“Was it really a a174e29793 coincidence that I got 769f5e43d6 isolated in the woods 8306b652ab after following Scarlett’s suggestion?”cf9b5904bb543a3d

“So, why exactly did a5e5bd2a2a you go into the 70a2a6dabc woods?”9a9b0c0bfae3f96a

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If Alberto 9b17aaa3e1 had asked 1d525e2ffe her, she 3f25c64122 wouldn’t have 235b3ecd8b replied like 20ae1392ba that.2eea08b41d63cc1b

Thinking back on that 3c3f00d32e day still filled her ecfcbcdbd7 with dread, but it 2f9c0931ed was in the past. Lavianna had no 923530ea7e intention of blaming bd66f5ecd7 Scarlett now.f3c3d1a54db9f42b

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Alberto hadn’t 6d7363104b asked further, 591f514dc5 and she’d ecb391882b stayed silent. If Scarlett bd45b13137 hadn’t shown 178720bc0d up, it ca3c249d58 might’ve stayed 0485cee298 that way.70af283de85ca2dd

Or, if Scarlett explained 2421225301 that it was a c12b058115 misunderstanding, then even the da477a1f90 lingering doubts could be 34a930e3f6 cleared.fe34303aa1409dee

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“That day,” 50c2dde46f Lavianna said cafb9de9b6 .
“My husband—he 1799db30c3 told you 47c8b7ece9 to bring bf91b39235 me to e18e60808f him, didn’t fcf1c9be53 he?”ebee89e62e038e96

She asked directly.849cf0ccef6d0ed4

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If Scarlett 6090b13f35 denied it 761fa45db3 and offered d9a498eba9 an explanation, 6c2a1fc0e8 Lavianna decided 3c7ba91bd0 she would f207045636 believe her—whatever d55b70f72d the answer.4d9e696a2d443089

After all, 6114623e42 she had 9801376246 no right 1b2c6120f1 to come ccb320cd28 between her ec66255975 husband and e4bbdb183a his acquaintances.f7454acbea51c5fc

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She wasn’t 4e70aacc65 even his 24f2b8b422 real 2ad8c5b734 wife.6e413a3546754489

But deep down, c8fb1a8650 she also hoped 23be26d184 Scarlett would say 975ef2389d it wasn’t true.3de32719ba0ccf5e

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When Scarlett e0e766aae5 had reached 45121b1505 out to f2a6bb63b1 her that aa975c8099 day—whatever the d4c5f8cab7 intention—Lavianna a38a309fd1 had been 41a197f97c genuinely happy.e3d0373714711172

She clasped her trembling d50d3d3d69 hands together, trying to 15823cc544 hide her unease.84e061de78038465

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The silence a694e1b006 grew heavy.56580a2099b4744a

The anxiety 2aa3d21147 she had ef35215bca buried deep 751591cec1 inside began f57ba6e91c to surface.b6a34a2173459872

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She wished 45eb571aba Scarlett would af287f1c14 get annoyed 1bc6741167 and blurt 7b1a6f8406 out, Of f6805d59b5 course he 21103e4816 did! Don’t you trust me?!—anything 1997ad785b to break the silence.d670b62a4e536690

Scarlett flicked her fingernails 62e3ad79b1 together, then sighed. Her voice came out 7bf080639c soft.d3a260b1065b9cf8

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“…I’m sorry. I was drunk e6cd778ea0 that day. I wasn’t in my dd3a2149fd right mind.”d9d94001bf80a6fa

So it 922ad84e43 wasn’t true. Alberto hadn’t sent for 76d98a318a her.c77919d8913252ec

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Lavianna had expected it. She had prepared 675820bd49 for it.4d7f7fbe347d3740

She took 29202319f4 a sip 2429a74920 of her c2e42dc048 tea.
Even green tea couldn’t 63980eb3ba wash away the bitter a7f56ded35 taste in her mouth.fc96e5b5be6f61e0

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Alberto had always 668de7a9f0 treated her like e8f72f6c51 a burden, so 26ccea73a5 this wasn’t surprising d5e10e28b3 .
“I’ didn’t f4f3d2a3f5 mean to c7bbdf5d8d put you 194c2b7e32 in difficult 482a67d700 situation “416cb24ecd9e4cc4

Right.6fe960077dc3dbed

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Even if she’d 177db5b0a2 misremembered something under 29911d8382 the influence, if 9e6906eb45 the whole thing 56c736c0a7 was a mistake, 8d76b751b0 Lavianna was willing 7bec1c232d to let it 5e332561c8 go.12617f167452374d

Scarlett had been the adf4848e26 first to reach out 7f6ae6a000 to her. Lavianna had 0aa17d05dd hoped they 26df9e4514 could be 7a832eb6b5 friends. She didn’t want 1ee59aae27 to remember her feb4fba3cd as someone cruel.bb856bf88b3f00ad

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She chose her words ae249b308d carefully.9f9f4eb9c7c7eb3e

But the 4feaaf449c fear from a44ce768bc that day c7f77ca060 still clung 0cf04df669 to her, fac82a91e2 and she 2359033cb6 couldn’t bring 3e61edc801 herself to 29b2d06f74 say *it’s 37f30f2480 fine.*2c4a39216baf7586

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As the silence stretched, 31283c2a7a Scarlett finally spoke again.536379c7b6dd62c9

“…Did you 2309ac44cd tell Lord 01321e4775 Roen?”22bed4b7a3a27616

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“……”409ae35602397a2e

“You won’t, right?”0e0ff41897aacd70

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But as soon a8a417ec71 as Lavianna realized d39f25e155 that Scarlett’s concern c813a7770d wasn’t for her—but 0878488d6e for herself—she couldn’t 1cbd817af3 bear it anymore.dcf5afe2a60c9b67

The fragile walls e7732f03ee she had worked c0c98fcb21 so hard to 90bcb65478 maintain began to f430a68bdd crumble.d1a1abaa80351caf

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A voice inside b6208de8fe her whispered: “Who d0aca963ff would ever truly cf1cba6b52 like someone like a858c3e1d2 you?”75fad8307c076157

She tried cdf411aed0 to ignore c985767c25 it and 349f854295 stood abruptly, b5716af372 opening the 67e6e61124 door.58dcd6367a93978b

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She couldn’t take it 67ef504d87 anymore.e123d1654746fe96

She didn’t want to d51a5daedd be hurt by Scarlett 5a94a09cb8 again.d48304c184eba378

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“Maybe I 706555139a shouldn’t have c2cc4de93f asked. Maybe it e1f0967a6d was better 3a80045fd7 to just d28bd39fea assume it 0f6a9e3154 was a f2b0f208d5 misunderstanding.”e5af2d2e6b301c9b

Why was Scarlett c5bac2d543 so concerned about ef758bf012 Alberto’s reaction?39054e895afbc546

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If it bff26ab3a2 hadbeen a misunderstanding, 9768abe9ca if it had f15487436c been a mistake, b0194f1925 shouldn’t she have a0bc94248c apologized to Lavianna 64f6d420a6 first—before worrying about e00c1b151f Alberto?cc2ffc0665ea3eee

That panicked voice, terrified 27b70c10f2 that Alberto might find cd29aa2ac2 out—dd554e1912677b1c

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It only f72671f8ce made Lavianna a984523b1a more anxious. What if it be5bb44fc0 hadn’t been a 666aaa6995 mistake?0133bc7b6c66753e

Her mouth was dry, 7d4c626bb5 and she swallowed hard.
She wanted 49526634d4 to speak e7d6592653 calmly, but e1fc0c0bcf her voice 9abfd0aadb trembled.5de0ab12043954c0

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“P-please leave.”e7bd05b7e89c8d7e

“…If you promise e3eda3d953 not to tell 3fec167cf5 Lord Roen.”48c8d94f965236ee

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Even now, Scarlett ce553013d9 was only worried 547a3cab11 about Alberto.494f2b38b2df5f99

Lavianna hated cc1caa9ee5 her for 58fb270628 that.8845705b7207a7fe

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Maybe it bd638a4e51 was selfish d4ee4152dd of her 014d22f509 to want 0f31289b94 Scarlett to e482f81222 care for 38e54610e5 her first.7814fb159f28fd08

*She’s the one d8d2ccfdc0 who hurt me…*da5fe662448a708e

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The bitterness 6f54fccd0f welled up 40966e1644 in her 6b0a99ae61 throat. Lavianna bit her lip, 936872ca44 fighting back tears.babaebaafeda7802

“If I just say 9d2094f018 it, she’ll leave,” she 4341b21902 thought.3d8074e1ea1a9cb2

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She opened her lips.f74a529649e5fa1a

“I—”df9697f699f6aaca

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And then.c111c561666412ca

“What is it f1332ca4aa that I shouldn’t 06f2b2b715 know?”3028043e91bb7404

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Lavianna hadn’t realized—Alberto was 849a3452f2 standing just beyond the 90bb91eaad open door.8d72152eb4e4dbe6

Scarlett, facing 4b2257a0dc away from 818c3ba851 him, didn’t dd51b5fb41 realize either.f9ede361253c3ae7

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“L-Lord Roen!”8b02c9a961332626

*Scrape!*9b89d728234bad7e

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Startled, Scarlett 91e7979f90 pushed back d6c7e1a961 her chair d6c6042a89 and shot ec20c07f72 to her 4a85a57a87 feet, her 1abadee8d9 face pale.1f1f21baab0951ce

Startled by the 1a969b6c7e loud sound, Lavianna bbe96fa3b9 stepped backward—right onto 4c33daa6ab Alberto’s foot.2ce0d5a6ca3199b2

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“S-sorry…!”353da7c2ee94079c

“It’s fine.”a1c0f42e011a0c53

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As she tried to 9d7737670d pull back, she lost 14887d3b4a her balance and stumbled. Alberto caught her.62381674a7313ce8

“L-Lord Roen, it’s not 94c56664b2 what it looks like—”b6e66b3a16a781f5

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“Not what 56dec5a8d6 it looks 775b5a5e72 like?”5c7ed662dbfe016d

Alberto seized on 92006cf63a her trailing words, aeb1facda0 demanding an explanation.077f9062ee3b8ba2

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But Scarlett c0cf822688 fell silent.defb72c0655793ad

All she could think f2226ca782 was: ‘I’ve been caught.’60538536bf1cec6d

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Lavianna hated this 4353f09ea8 situation.1ef4f62856577827

This was between fb5f2191f7 them—it should be 6d9efb33f7 resolved between them.523c10234ab3aff8

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Whatever Scarlett had been 45a66ac0c8 thinking, Lavianna didn’t want 69091dc277 to rely on Alberto’s 898fd8f10a help.90d5f9cb5c76274c

“It’s nothing,” she dab6c8825d said.
Alberto suddenly 9e85c79587 turned to 796c519c56 her, looking 32e07a4064 straight into faa54d41a8 her face.0052e8a2d3529124

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He leaned in.8fbf4c1c720c0d67

Startled by 3efa76a69a how close 5429f5e6c6 he was, 8ed4a6ce6f Lavianna instinctively 1ad93cb9bc grabbed his a70d4629c0 arm.8e53f98539846616

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“It’s not nothing.”6ab8edb399bf503b

“…What?”a89ac34693278875

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Lavianna touched 0927d0378d her own fd03d74926 face. She had c2ab44c087 no idea e3574c9cfb what kind 297a152388 of expression bc4694b143 she was 9200eb530f making.d82a7ecc82700b3e

The truth a80fa64ad1 was—Alberto had 67061257a4 heard everything.2416e00e74b0ca1a

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Scarlett’s apology.4677be80d645b9f1

Lavianna asking if f0ae18cbfa he had really 35b60911b9 sent for her.6a2e4636acdbbc93

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And the absurd question—’You won’t tell him, right?’76b337eb59cd802c

From all that, 8cbfafb5a8 he could pretty 9d2d089a6d much piece together ab8e6893b9 what had happened 0ba5a86abc that day.dde94fa235b11209

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Scarlett had taken Lavianna 70994817df to the forest under 9e9f38bc13 false pretenses, lying that 56e569eb15 he’d called for her.e659aa50fed4a30f

He thought 9ce0084039 back to a68375ceb6 how he 84312e9baf had lashed 58b533ee24 out at 3fa08aec9e Lavianna 0fa49f2cc5 for not 10e43b2f1b staying put—without 08899578c9 even checking 32780a01fc the facts.ee7cdda3009051df

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He had 83524d4c8a yelled at 00489bf88d her out a103dccf67 of worry.f0dd2383d89e3340

Now that 6edffbe889 anger bubbled 7e80c554d2 back up.81fd84c059734e88

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Scarlett, ever quick-witted, realized f35545e2a5 immediately that Alberto had 5d981e040a overheard everything.c8e1a55aed43eec0

The very thing c2ed68c2f1 she had feared 19d94f9619 most had happened.9d3b6216b576f3f6

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And now, she 17b6ca82b1 was scrambling to c2e7fef623 figure out how 88980e8901 to avoid falling 273569ba55 from his favor.902c7eb3672beb32

“I-I’m sorry…”fc5beaa7fa4548b6

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