Chapter 69

“I wandered the streets for a long time, until I collapsed. I was so hungry, but I had no idea how to get food. I didn’t even know how to talk to people!”

Hank wanted so badly to hug Rose, to stroke her hair, to deliver her from the pain of these memories. But he had seen how she would shrink from the slightest touch and knew the best thing he could do was listen, even though this tale was breaking his heart.

She shrugged. “Long story short: I was malnourished, almost starving, and I barely knew how to speak, even though I was, like, sixteen. They took me to a hospital. Then all these social workers got together and tried to decide what to do with me.”

“Did they ever find your mom and dad?” Hank asked. He couldn’t help himself.

Rose shook her head. “No. Never. They looked, but there was no record of my even disappearing, which makes me wonder if that story about me being sold wasn’t true.”

“Oh, Rose.”