A Welcome Reunion

Could a child be born bad? And if so—if there really was such a thing as a bad seed—could you turn them good?

And there it was. In black and white, the scrawled signature: Christopher Bauer.

The ones where I describe being a sociopath?” She popped her lips out. Smoothed her ponytail.

Parents don’t tell their kids every piece of their history.

Apparently, her favorite thing to do is glue their eyes shut while they’re sleeping.

Because for people like Janie, age didn’t make them better. It only made them better at not getting caught.

Snipping off your own earlobe first so no one would suspect you of hurting your roommate was cunning.

She stared at her hands clasped on the knife, and a wicked grin slowly covered her face. Pain—even her own—excited her.

That only meant one thing—she’d been in my house.

That’s very Gone Girl of you,

They threw me away like a broken toy they didn’t want to take the time to fix.

She’d definitely taken her power back, and there was nothing I loved more than a woman who’d confidently stepped into her own power.

The blood spread, staining her shirt and the front of her pants. It looked like she’d peed them in blood.

He was so young when all of it when down, and he had no recollection of her.

Janie didn’t just tug at your heartstrings—she pulled them straight out.

Is that why you hurt your roommate at New Horizons Correctional Facility?

She kept gasping for air like a fish coming up to the surface to breathe, and all I could do was stare at her while she struggled.

You have to understand what it was like for me. To be told you were going to be loved unconditionally, finally, after all those years of being mistreated? Well, that was like my dream come true. It was everything I’d wished for, and believe me

keep me away from

people like her don’t shine their light on people they can’t play, and she knew I was one of those people.

Liars never liked getting caught. Nothing made them angrier.

I guess if I had to sum it up in one sentence, I’d say it’s a book about hope and redemption, yes. That everyone deserves a second chance, no matter what they’ve done.

We were the last generation to grow up without the internet in our home while we were kids, where we didn’t stream our lives 24-7. The evolution of technology we’d seen play out over the last century was astounding.

My whole life I wanted a brother or a sister. My whole life. I never said anything to you guys about it because I didn’t want you to feel bad, and you were always trying so hard to be okay with having an only child.

some way. We were trying to keep you safe.” “Hurting me?” Rage filled his face. Lips tight with fury. “She’s the only one who understands me.” What had she done? What

She’d definitely taken her power back

The conditions of his plea bargain were that he have no contact with her, and he wouldn’t risk it. Not after how hard he’d worked to keep his medical license after the trial.

wasn’t blinded by any maternal or paternal longing for a child that clouds other people’s judgment.

age didn’t make them better. It only made them better at

I stared at him, sitting across from me at the kitchen table. We’d had so many discussions right here over the years. In the exact same chairs, because of the unwritten household rule that once you picked a spot, it was yours forever. Somehow, despite everything we’d been through, we were still together.