“Now I have no choice; I have to accept the truth. Nate, Cassie, and I had an idyllic childhood. It was fun and lighthearted. But as we got older, it got darker. My dad was always attentive to Cassie. But when I was ten, he crossed the line from paternal affection to—I don’t know—something disturbing. Like a boy with a crush. He treated her like a g-g-g-girlfriend. Touched her c-c-c-constantly. Doted on her in this creepy way. When I think about it now, I’m sickened. But as a kid, I didn’t know how to describe what I was seeing. I kept doubting myself. If it was wrong, then why didn’t anyone stop it? Eventually, I decided my father must be normal, which made me the abnormal one. A p-p-p-pervert. Disgusting.”

“But Diana noticed it?”

“Immediately. She said it was nuts, like the room was on fire but we kept stepping around the flames.”

“What was your reaction to her telling you this?”

“Horror, disbelief. But if I’m honest, I also felt validated.”

“Were you angry?”

“At Diana?” Billy shakes his head. “No. I got annoyed when she kept bringing it up. But I told her I didn’t want to talk about it, and she stopped.”

“Did this new knowledge throw a curveball in your relationship?”

“It magnified problems that already existed. When school started in September, my schedule was jam-packed. I pulled away because I had so many demands on my time, but also because I had the issue of my sister in the back of my mind. The more I withdrew, the needier Diana got. Soon, I shut down completely, while she did whatever she could to reach me. It was a vicious cycle, one we kept repeating. In November, we went to my parents’ house, which was a mistake. I had d-d-d-decided to end our relationship, so the invitation was a mixed message. While I didn’t want to hurt her, it was clear we couldn’t continue.”

DeFiore nods. “What happened during that dinner?”

“Cassie showed up unexpectedly. It created all kinds of tension. And then, as Diana said . . . she saw . . . she saw C-c-c-cassie k-k-k-kissing my . . . um . . . d-d-d-d-dad. That was . . . this mmmmoment was . . . the beginning of the end . . . of our relationship. Me and Diana. We fought all the time. I told myself it was because school was tough. Track too. I had a million reasons. But there was only one, really. Her knowing about Cassie and my dad made me sick and ashamed. But again, the more I pulled away, the more Diana preyed on me. She was relentless. C-c-c-calling, texting, showing up. I felt trapped.”

“During his testimony, your father said you were drawn to Diana because her temperament was similar to your sister’s. Is this true?”