"I'm glad."
His voice trembled.
"I really am."
I swallowed.
"Nigel, did you know about the second injury?"
Silence.
Then he asked, "What second injury?"
I explained what Dr. Harris had found.
As I spoke, Nigel's breathing changed.
When I finished, he didn't answer immediately.
Then he whispered, "Your father?"
"Yes."
A long silence.
Finally, Nigel said, "Mara, there's something you need to understand."
My chest tightened.
"More secrets?"
"No. Not another secret. Something about your father."
"What?"
Nigel inhaled shakily.
**"The research that helped me develop your surgery came from a doctor who sent me anonymous notes for almost ten years."**
I went still.
"What doctor?"
"I didn't know his identity at first."
My heart pounded.
"And now?"
Nigel's voice became almost inaudible.
**"Mara, six months ago, I discovered that the man who had been helping me restore your sight was Gabriel Wren."**
My father.
The man who had supposedly abandoned me.
