I Thought Love Had to Be Earned Through Chores, They Hugged Me novel · Chapter 18 of 24

Chapter 18: Live

The studio was colder than the walk-in at the diner.

There was a red light over the camera, and a man counting down on his fingers.

Three. Two.

The host smiled at nothing.

"Good evening. Tonight, a story that has divided Chicago."

There were two couches, angled at each other.

Noreen and Odette on one.

Mom, Dad, Wesley and me on the other.

Noreen wore a fresh pink cardigan and the cardinal brooch.

Odette wore white. Of course she did.

Noreen went first. She'd been on TV before. You could tell.

She told them about her late sister. Her poor little niece. How she'd kept that baby since she was in diapers and found her good homes, good working families, because a child needs structure.

"And then these people saw a video," she said, dabbing her eyes, "and they took her. Just like that. With their money and their lawyers. And look what they've got her doing."

The screen behind her filled with the photos.

The ladder. The bar rag. The range hood.

The studio audience murmured.

Odette held Noreen's hand and looked down at her lap.

"She cried every night," Odette said softly. "In the storage room. I heard her. I tried to help."

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