Read Online Someone Else's Life by Katie Dale - Free Book Online Page B

on a French accent as he surveys the wine bottles in his kitchen. “Rosé for Rosie?”
    I smile weakly. “No, thank you.”
    “No?” He frowns. “I know! Champagne! I think we’ve even got some flutes somewhere—this is a celebration, after all!”
    He disappears through the doorway and I look away, out of the window. Black clouds gather menacingly over the fields, blotting out the sun.
    I thought I’d be pleased to get the all-clear, that it would set me free … but instead I just feel … lost … It seems like whenever I finally get an answer to one question, a million others pop up right behind it: I don’t have the disease, I’m not Trudie’s daughter— so who am I? And who’s this girl, this Holly Woods, my real mother? Is she still around? Why did she run away? Why did she abandon me?
    “Okay … champagne and flutes!” Andy returns, proudly flourishing a bottle and two glasses. “Now all we need is cake!”
    “No, really, I don’t want—”
    “What have we got?” He opens a cupboard. “Swiss roll … flapjack …”
    “Andy—”
    “Battenberg! Do you like battenberg?”
    “Andy, I’m fine! Really.”
    “Really?” He turns. “Really.”
    “ Really? Because you’ve barely said two words since we left the clinic, Rosie.” He looks at me. “You don’t want to go out, you don’t want to celebrate …”
    I look away.
    He sighs. “I could understand it if the test were positive, but you’re acting like you’ve got the weight of the world on your shoulders—and it’s negative! You’re healthy!” He sits down beside me. “Why aren’t you happy about it?”
    I shift uncomfortably.
    “And don’t say it’s that guilt bollocks the counselor was on about.” His tone softens and he covers my hand with his. “Rose, you’ve suffered enough—your mum would be thrilled that you’re in the clear.”
    I pull my hand away. “You don’t understand.”
    “No,” he sighs. “You’re right, I don’t.”
    “Andy—”
    “I don’t understand, because you never tell me anything!” He stands up, paces the room. “You just lock yourself away in your own little world and try to deal with everything by yourself. That’s why we broke up—because you couldn’t tell me, wouldn’t tell me, what was wrong!”
    I stare at him, my cheeks burning, my eyes hot. I look away.
    “I could’ve handled it, Rosie—I could’ve helped—I could help now, if you’d let me.”
    I close my eyes.
    He sighs. “I know it must be difficult—I know it’s a lot to take in …”
    “It’s not,” I mutter.
    “Of course it is.”
    “It’s not a lot to take in, all right?” I glare at him. “Because I—I already knew.”
    Andy frowns. “What do you mean?”
    I look away.
    “I don’t understand, Rose,” he says slowly. “I thought Huntington’s was hereditary?”
    “Exactly! Exactly, it’s hereditary!”
    He looks at me for a moment, then shakes his head. “You’ve lost me.”
    “It’s hereditary!” I look at him, the pain prickling my eyes. “But you can’t inherit a disease from someone who’s not related to you—who isn’t even your mother !”
    He stares at me.
    “She wasn’t my mother, Andy—she wasn’t …” I trail off, close my eyes, my throat swelling painfully.
    There’s a long silence. Then he takes a deep breath and reaches over, his hand warm and soft on mine.
    “Okay,” he says gently. “I think it’s time to spill, don’t you?”
    “Wow.” Andy sighs after I’ve told him everything. “Wow.”
    “Yeah.” It feels good to finally let it all out. I feel … lighter. But exhausted.
    “And Trudie never knew?”
    I shake my head.
    “Wow, Rose. I mean, God, I don’t know what to say …” He sighs. “How do you deal with something like—Have you told your nana?”
    I shake my head. “I can’t, Andy. I’m all she’s got left—of Granddad, of Mum—how can I possibly tell her that it was all one big lie, all these years? That