Simone was sitting at her desk, typing up her report when she heard a knock on the door.

" Come in.", she said, not looking up from her laptop.

" Simone.."

" Hey Whitney. What's up?"

Whitney crossed the room and sat on the edge of Simone's bed. She looked at her sister and sighed.

" How do you do it?"

" Do what, Whitney?"

" How could you forgive HER?"

Simone stopped typing and looked at her older sister. " You really ARE having a bad time with this, aren't you?"

" Yes! I can't see why you don't get it."

" Whitney, I do get it. But, I guess, I thought about what was more important to me: punishing Mom or having a family. I chose a family."

" But, she lied! She lied about EVERYTHING!"

'" Whitney, she lied. A lot. That is true. But, her love for us wasn't a lie."

" How do you know that?"

" Come on. If we needed proof about if her feelings were true, all we needed to do is to look at Chad. Look at how she looks at him. How she acts around him. The look in her eyes when she sees him come into the room. Whitney, it's the same way she looks at us."

" Simone, she perpetrated herself as this 'perfect' person. She put herself up as an example."

" I know. And, it was crummy of her to do it. But, don't you feel RELIEVED, Whitney? Aren't you happy that Mom isn't who she said she was? And that she's a normal woman who has made mistakes? I knew I'd never live up to it, but I guess you would be hurt, considering that it was your goal in life to be Mom."

" I never wanted to be like her!"

" Whitney, NOW who's lying? You modeled yourself on the image that Mom projected, so of course, you feel betrayed by her. Who are you now if you're not following in Mom's footsteps. Whitney, don't you see? You're free! You can be whomever you want to be. Look at it that way."

" She lied to Daddy. She lied to us. And nobody wants to punish her for it!"

" Whitney, why would you want to punish her? Why would you expound the energy? You don't think Mom has suffered?"

" NO!"

" Whitney, you looked at her face when Mr. Orville told the story about her baby. You saw the pain. Whitney, I hate to tell you this, but there is NO PAIN that you might THINK you could bestow upon our mother that will match what Alistair Crane did, with regards to Chad. NOTHING. What kind of pain do you think could TOP thinking that your child is dead for over 20 years? Unless you plan on wasting the next thirty years of your life on this, Mom's been punished. She's lived in a personal hell that you can't match. I'm sorry, but it's true."

Whitney looked at her sister. " Do you have any idea how mad I am?"

" Of course I do. You really cared about Chad. You worshipped Mom. Both of those things have gone up in smoke. Whitney, maybe you need to talk to Dad about this."

" I did, and he told me that he loved her and was working things out."

" I'm glad, cause I want my family. Maybe Grandmere?"

" She said she hoped I never had children so that I would never know the kind of pain that I was wanting to inflict."

" Ok…well, I'm not helping you any. Maybe Father Lonigan, or a therapist."

" I'm NOT mental, Simone. ' I' wasn't the one who lied. That was our mother."

" True, but everyone else seems to be trying to cope and go forward according to the new reality of the situation. Everyone, but you."

Whitney began to cry and Simone went over to her sister on the bed and held her.

" Why can't I let go of this, Simone?"

" I don't know, Whitney. I want you too. It is better for everyone if you do. "

" You don't hate me?"

" Whitney, you're my sister. I could never hate you. I want to help you. So, you stay right here, as long as you want."

Simone hugged her sister, who responded in kind.

Eve was standing outside of Simone's room. She heard Whitney's crying.

" You can't help."

Eve turned around to face Madelaine.

" I want to. It's all my fault."

" True. These are your lies, but Whitney has to deal with them in her own way."

" Doesn't sound like she's dealing with any of it."

" I disagree. Her letting her pain come out and express itself is very healthy. It's a beginning for her."

" Madelaine, I never wanted to hurt her. If I had known  about Chad.."

Madelaine took Eve by the hand and they went into TC and Eve's room.

" I know, Eve. You would never have let them become involved. You can't blame yourself for that. Even if they knew about your lost child, they would have assumed he was dead just like you did. Nothing would really change things."

" Except for Whitney would believe in me."

" She will again. Eve, you have to let things inch along at their own pace. Building a new family is a hard process, but it can be done."

" TC is back in our bedroom."

" I know."

" But, he's still so distant."

" Time."

" Madelaine, I have to admit this…I never thought I would get this reaction from you. I never thought I'd get support from you."

" Eve, we are family. You make Theodore happy, and I love my granddaughters. They are better off with an intact family. You made a mistake. Should you pay for it the rest of your life? I don't think so. It sort of wipes away the entire concept of redemption. Plus, the pain surrounding your son was nobody else's business. "

" Thank you for your compassion."

" It was nothing."

Madelaine hugged Eve and left the room.