don’t have much money, but I was wondering if you might
consider just lending it to me for a few hours so that I could
tell him that you gave it to me out of the goodness of your
heart. That you were moved by his dying request, and you
wanted to make things right. Make his heart whole again. Or
something. I would just show it to him and then I would give it
right back. I promise. I—”
“You’d lie to your dying father?” The question tore through
Coralyn like shrapnel.
Her hand rose to her throat and hovered there as any dreams
she might have had about fulfilling wishes crumbled to dust.
Giana advanced, crossing the room. She kept her arms
folded in front of her, looking down that straight nose of hers
right at Coralyn. There was no color on her face, no expression
at all, and there Coralyn was, squirming under that direct
glacial gaze, her cheeks scarlet. Something flashed in her eyes.
Something even colder and inhuman. Did she like this?
Hurting other people? Lording her power over them?
Humiliating them?
A cold sweat broke out over Coralyn’s brow. She could feel
the prickle of it along her hairline. Her palms were becoming
soaked to match.
“I don’t want to lie to him. I just want to put his mind at
ease. Give him peace. I’m going to be fine, but he was so
upset. I don’t want him to go that way.”
“But you would be lying.”
“Yes, I would be.” There. It was out there. She’d said it.
Yes, she’d be lying. Tricking her father. But wouldn’t it be
worth it? It wasn’t a bad trick. It was just giving him what he
so longed to hear. Wasn’t that the right thing to do?