Chapter 8: The Family Vanessa Left Behind
The words followed me long after Claire stopped speaking.
*That’s the question Emily was trying to answer before she died.*
I stood outside the café holding the envelope meant for Sophie, feeling like I was holding the last piece of a puzzle that had been buried for years.
A puzzle my wife had died trying to solve.
A puzzle that had somehow led Vanessa into our lives.
“Another family?”” Mark finally asked.
His voice broke the silence.
Claire nodded.
“Yes.””
I looked at her.
“Start from the beginning.””
Claire glanced at Sophie.
My daughter was standing beside me, holding my hand tightly.
“She should hear this?””
I looked down at Sophie.
The old version of me would have said no.
May you like
I would have tried to protect her from every painful truth.
But I had learned
