Part 2: Before my husband passed away, he asked me to deliver a sealed letter to a woman I'd never met — after she read the first line, she looked at me and asked, "Did he tell you everything?"

Tears filled my eyes.

"I don't know yet."

She looked at Catherine.

"Did you know?"

Catherine began crying.

"No, sweetheart."

Julia was silent for a long moment.

Then she said, "I want the test."

I nodded.

"So do I."

***

The following week felt endless.

Emily called every morning.

Julia sent short messages asking whether I'd heard anything.

Catherine spent hours searching through old adoption records.

And Zane continued calling.

I answered only once.

He sounded exhausted.

"Mara, please tell me Emily is all right."

"She's hurting."

His voice broke.

"I know."

I looked toward the window.

"Did you know Catherine adopted a baby the same year Emily was born?"

Silence.

My stomach tightened.

"Zane?"

He swallowed.

"Yes."

I stopped breathing.

"You knew?"

He began crying.

"I found out later."

"How much later?"

A long pause.

"About twenty years ago."

I stared at the phone.

"And you never told me?"

"I didn't know whether the child was ours."