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Chapter 32: What Was Never Said
Daisy
The house looked smaller than she remembered—like it had shrunk under the weight of secrets. She stepped through the front door slowly, the silence inside unsettling. Her mother stood in the living room, arms crossed tightly, as if holding herself together. Ezra lingered by the window, unusually quiet.
Grace Akello looked up.
"You came."
Daisy nodded. "You said it was urgent."
Her mother hesitated, then gestured toward the couch. "Sit. Both of you."
Calvin stayed beside Daisy as they sat. He didn't speak, just offered silent strength. Her mother looked at him briefly, then back at Daisy.
"I got a call this morning," Grace began. "From Kisumu General Hospital."
Daisy blinked. "Okay…?"
Grace inhaled sharply. "Your father's there. He's sick."
Silence fell.
"My father?" Daisy said slowly. "The man you never wanted to talk about? The one who left?"
"He didn't leave, Daisy," her mother said softly. "I made him leave."
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Ezra
He looked up, eyes flickering between them. "Mum told me when I turned fifteen. I promised not to tell you."
Daisy stared at them both, heat rising in her chest. "Why now?"
"Because he's asking for you," her mother said. "He said your name. Over and over."
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Calvin
He sat still, watching the hurt unfurl on Daisy's face like a slow storm.
She whispered, "And you just expected me to what? Show up and forgive him?"
"No," Grace replied, her voice thick. "I just thought you should have the choice."
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Daisy
Outside, the evening wind stirred the trees. Inside her, something cracked open—grief she didn't know she was holding.
Calvin reached for her hand, and she let him. For the first time in a long time, she didn't try to hold it all in.
Just this once, she let herself be the one who needed saving.
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