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Chapter 164: Echoes of the Past, Scars of Abandonment - February 5th, 2004 (Revised Ending)
- Alicia stood up, tears streaming down her face, but before she could walk away, a wave of raw emotion surged through her. She stopped, her back still turned to George, and spoke, her voice trembling with barely suppressed grief.
- Alicia (voice choked with emotion): "You think you can just waltz back in and be a father again? You don't even know them, George. You don't know anything about their lives. And there's something else you don't know, something I've never told them. Something you took from us, and never even cared to ask."
- George looked up at her, his face etched with confusion and a glimmer of hope that she wouldn't leave yet.
- George (voice pleading): "What are you talking about, Alicia? What don't I know?"
- Alicia (turning slowly, her eyes filled with a pain that cut deeper than any anger): "Holmes and Teddy...they don't even know they had a sister, George. They don't know about Sarah."
- George (stumbling back in his chair, his face paling): "Sarah? But...what happened to her? I thought..."
It had been the worst day of her life, a day that haunted her every waking moment. Sarah, a vibrant and curious toddler, had been playing in the backyard while Alicia quickly stepped inside to take a call. A few minutes, that's all it took. When she returned, Sarah was gone. The police searched for weeks, but Sarah was never found. Vanished without a trace, leaving Alicia and George with an unending nightmare.
- Alicia (voice trembling): "The police never found her,- Alicia (voice trembling): "The police never found her, George. She was just...gone. Vanished. A two-year-old child, swallowed by the city. And you...you blamed me, didn't you? You never forgave me for that one moment of carelessness."
Realistic Scene:
- George hung his head, tears falling onto the table. He remembered the day Sarah disappeared. The frantic search, the agonizing wait, the crushing realization that she was gone. He had blamed Alicia, yes, but the guilt had eaten him alive for years.
Realistic George Conversation:
- George (voice choked with tears): "I...I didn't know what to do, Alicia. I was so lost. So angry. I pushed you away when I should have held you closer. I'm so sorry."
Realistic Conversation:
- Alicia (shaking her head): "Sorry doesn't bring her back, George. Sorry doesn't erase the pain. Holmes and Teddy grew up without knowing they had a sister, without knowing that their father was responsible for her disappearance, even indirectly."
- Alicia looked at George, her eyes filled with a mixture of sorrow and resolve. There was no anger left, only a profound sadness.
- Alicia (voice soft but firm): "I'm telling you this not to make you feel worse, George. I'm telling you this so you understand the depth of what you did, the extent of the damage you caused. You can't just waltz back in and rewrite history. You can't erase the past."
Realistic Scene:
- Alicia wiped the tears from her eyes, her expression hardening. She had said what she needed to say, revealed the truth that had been buried for so long.
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- Alicia (voice resolute): "Goodbye, George. I hope one day you find peace. But you won't find it with us."
Realistic Scene:
- Alicia turned and walked away, her figure disappearing into the dimly lit club. George remained at the table, his body wracked with sobs, the Realistic Scene:
- Alicia turned and walked away, her figure disappearing into the dimly lit club. George remained at the table, his body wracked with sobs, the weight of his past crushing him.
- "It's done. It's finally done. He knows the truth now. Maybe, just maybe, that will set us all free."
- "Sarah...my Sarah. I never stopped thinking about you. And now, to know that Holmes and Teddy never even knew you existed...what kind of man am I? What have I done?"
(End of Chapter 164 - Revised)