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"Make love to me, Jake. Now... Please help me forget, even for just a little while. This pain is too much for me," she pleaded, "Please, make love to me, Jake...."

Jake gently untangled her tearful form from his arms. "You can't keep running away from it all, Cher. You've already come too far, letting it all out of your chest. You can still talk about it. I'm here for you, baby."

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand and turned away from him again. "Mama and I were taken to the hospital, and it was confirmed that she was dead. Everyone in LA heard about Marigold's tragic death and sympathized with us."

"But a few others pointed accusing fingers and cast judgmental eyes at Ixora and me. They couldn't tell us apart, so they didn't know which one of the twins' mama died saving. It might have been a little consolation, but by then, I wasn't feeling it."

She walked towards the window, her eyes glazed over in remembrance. "I forced myself to keep it all in. Even inside the water, Ma