The heavy, suffocating secret that had poisoned our family for twelve years evaporated into the summer air, carried off by the wind.

I sank to my knees on the concrete, ignoring the rough scrape against my skin. I wrapped my arms around my identical twin, pulling her tight against my chest, resting my chin on her shaking shoulder.

I felt the frantic, panicked beating of her heart—a heart that was only beating because I had shielded it.

“It’s okay, Chloe,” I whispered, my own tears finally falling, hot and fast, washing away a decade of resentment. “It’s okay. You didn’t know. I love you.”

“I don’t deserve you,” Chloe cried, clutching my shoulders.

I pulled back slightly, looking into her tear-streaked face. “You’re my sister,” I said fiercely, wiping a tear from her unblemished cheek. “I would burn a thousand times to keep you safe.”