Page 168 - TruthAboutLyingFinal

The Truth About Lying
You don’t have to.
I’m coming anyway.
Henry put his phone away and sat down on the steps of the building. Around him, people were gathering for the press conference. Reporters. Protesters. Supporters. Everyone had an opinion about what should happen next.
Everyone except him.
Vincent arrived at 11:53 AM. He sat down next to Henry without speaking. For a long moment, they just watched the crowd.
“I went to a Quiet Zone this morning,” Henry said finally.
“I heard. Jinji told me.”
“There was a kid there. Five years old. Diabetic. His parents won’t disclose their immigration status because they’re afraid of deportation. So they can’t get insulin through my system. So they’re living in silence. And their kid is dying.”
Vincent didn’t respond.
“I built a system to help people,” Henry insisted. “And it’s killing them. Not directly, but it’s killing them anyway.”
He sat heavily beside him. “You also saved lives, Henry. You know you did.”
Henry didn’t need to hear the name. He was already thinking of Aimee, her recovery a fragile miracle bought with the same currency that was now bankrupting the Martinez family.
“I know,” he whispered. “But that doesn’t make the Martinez kid any less dead.”
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