She looked at him then, tears in her eyes. “You understand now, don’t you, why I didn’t ever want to have a child? I was thirteen. All I wanted was to have an abortion and forget the whole thing. I was taking the money for my appointment when my stepfather caught me, and we had a huge fight. It got physical. I was just so angry at him.

“I was arrested for theft and assault. Joe and Siobhan wouldn’t sign the papers to let me have an abortion, so I was forced to have the baby. I hated it. I hated every second of being pregnant, of the situation, of being in juvie. It was humiliating, and frightening, and I just wanted to have that one piece of myself be sacred again.”

“And I took it from you.”

She squeezed his hand tighter. “Yes, you did. And for a long time, I hated you for it. But I swear to you, I loved Dashiell with every fiber of my being. When I thought you’d hurt him...it unhinged me. And now, to think that it was Ivy all along, that she could be mine from so long ago...”

“It’s insane. And if it’s true, then she’s insane.”

“There has to be something more. To tear apart our lives in retribution because I had to give her up? It’s not like I had a choice. I was thirteen and in juvie. They didn’t exactly give me options. And my mother...”

“What about her?”

“She threatened to tell you. Threatened to ruin everything. To tell you that I’m a criminal, that I was in jail. That’s why I pay her an allowance. So she stays quiet and lets me have my life with you.”

Ethan closed his eyes for a moment. “I’m so sorry you didn’t feel like you could trust me with your story, Sutton. I will never forgive myself. And we will never, ever allow Siobhan in our home again.”

“Thank you. I hate her. Hate the twisted, awful world she’s forced me to live in. I feel like such a fool. My mother, Ivy... I’ve let them both manipulate me.”

“Never again. I swear. And, Sutton, listen to me. Being manipulated by Ivy doesn’t make you bad or weak. She’s a sociopath, a very troubled woman. Graham’s still piecing together the whole picture, but everything the bloke Tomkins is saying has checked out. And according to him, Ivy has been in and out of hospitals and rehabs. Severe borderline personality disorder, supposedly. Like—”