ou\u2019re the one who wanted a big family,\u201d he shrugged, the cruelty of it breathtaking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re your children too, Nicholas!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLisa, I know everything you\u2019re about to say,\u201d he cut her off, reciting a line that was clearly not his own. \u201cIt\u2019s not going to change anything. Mom and I\u2026 we\u2019ve discussed it. I\u2019ve made my decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother?\u201d Lisa whispered, the betrayal a physical blow. \u201cWhat does she have to do with this? We are your family!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong,\u201d he said simply. \u201cPack your things. I\u2019ll take you to your grandmother\u2019s old house.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bottom fell out of her world. \u201cThe old house on Willow Creek? No one has lived there in a decade! It\u2019s falling apart! How can I possibly manage there with four small children?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicholas just shrugged again, a perfect imitation of his mother\u2019s indifference. \u201cMom and I can give you a little money for repairs. Not a lot, of course.\u201d<\/p>\n
It took every ounce of strength Lisa possessed to pull herself together. She looked at her four children\u2014eight-year-old\u00a0Alex<\/strong>, six-year-old\u00a0Michael<\/strong>, and the infant twins\u2014and a spine of steel formed where her shattered heart had been.\u00a0We will not be broken,<\/em>\u00a0she vowed silently.<\/p>\n
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