Then she wrote the line that broke me:
I need to know if you can love me without owning me.
If yes, ask Liam where I am.
If no, please let me stay gone.
PART 3
I grabbed my phone to call Liam.
John stopped me.
“Don’t call him like you’re about to put him on trial.”
The words hurt because they sounded exactly like Livia.
So I waited until I could breathe.
Then I called.
Liam answered on the second ring.
“Mom?”
I looked at the torn beanbag, the prom dress, the letters, and the photo of the granddaughter I had never held.
“Come home,” I said.
The line went silent.
“You know what I found,” I whispered.
He arrived just after dark.
His backpack slid from his shoulder when he saw the letters on the table.
“You knew she was alive?” I asked.
His eyes filled. “Yes.”
