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The screen went black.
“I’m so sorry I won’t be there to watch you grow up.”
I sat there frozen, tears streaming down my face. Nora was dying. She’d known her time was running out even before the accident took her. And she’d carried that burden alone, just like she’d carried so many others.
“Ollie,” Amelia said softly, wiping her eyes. “If Leo has this hidden, he must be terrified of what it means. We need to talk to him before he wakes up thinking we’ll love him less.”
We found Leo curled up in his bed. When he saw us standing in the doorway, his eyes went straight to the bunny in Amelia’s hands. His face drained of all color.
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“No,” he whispered, sitting up fast. “Please, no. Don’t…”
She’d known her time was running out
even before the accident took her.
Amelia held the flash drive gently. “Sweetheart, we found this.”
Leo started trembling. “Please don’t be mad. Please don’t send me away. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry…”
We rushed to him immediately.
“I found it two years ago,” Leo choked out. “The bunny had a small tear, and I felt something inside. I watched the video at school on the library computer because I was too scared to watch it at home.”
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“Please don’t send me away.”
His voice broke completely. “I saw everything Mom said. About my dad leaving. About not wanting me. And I got so scared that if you knew the truth… if you knew my real father didn’t want me… you’d think there was something wrong with me too. That maybe you wouldn’t want me either.”
He buried his face in his palms. “That’s why I never let anyone touch my Fluffy. I was so afraid you’d find it and send me away.”
I pulled him into my arms. “Leo, baby, listen to me. Nothing your biological father did or didn’t do defines who you are. Nothing.”
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“But Mom said he left. He didn’t want me. What if there’s something wrong with me?”
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