Chapter 832 Rag Doll(Incest/Taboo):>Ep84

• Ayesha kept me occupied for the next hour or so talking about Nicky, Bobby, our family life, why I thought dad had made such a big secret out of not letting Barbara tell us she was our mother, but it was gentle, none of the hurt, pain-filled, angry inquisition of earlier. I found her easy to talk to, warm and motherly, and that confused me; heretofore, gentleness and simple human warmth hadn't played a big part in my life, although, on reflection, that was what Barbara had always had for Nicky.
• It was a sobering thought that I could have had that too, for want of just a little compassion on my side. The jarring realisation just how easily I'd let what could have been the best thing in my life just slip away hit me hard, and for the first time in my life I cried, mostly tears of guilt, but a with huge sense of loss, too as Ayesha held me close. I did glance up once to see Shereen staring at me, her expression unreadable, but that hard edge was gone, and her eyes were soft and reasonable.
• After a time that felt like seconds, but could have been a lifetime, I felt her ruffle my hair gently, and when I looked up, startled, she grinned at me.