It was in the same city where Daniel and I had lived during the earliest years of our marriage.
The city we had abruptly left twenty years earlier.
The city I never wanted to return to.
The following morning, I told Sophie I had errands to run.
She obviously didn’t believe me.
But she didn’t stop me.
A few hours later, I stood outside a faded yellow house.
I knocked.
Laura opened the door.
The moment I saw her, twenty years vanished.
Suddenly, I was young again.
Pregnant with Sophie.
Standing in the doorway of my bedroom.
And finding Laura with my husband.
That affair had nearly destroyed my marriage.
Maybe being pregnant was the reason I stayed.
Maybe I was simply terrified of raising a child alone.
Whatever the reason, I had given Daniel one condition.
Laura disappeared.
No phone calls.
No messages.
No secret meetings.
Nothing.
A month later, Daniel and I moved away and started over.
Now Laura was standing in front of me again.
“Karen.”
“Laura.”
Neither of us smiled.
“I’m looking for Mia.”
Laura’s expression instantly changed.
“How do you know my daughter?”
My daughter.
The words struck harder than I expected.
“Sophie went looking for her months ago.”
Understanding slowly spread across Laura’s face.
“You really don’t know.”
It was the second time someone had said that to me.
“Know what?”
Laura stepped backward.
Then she said the words that changed everything.
“Mia was Daniel’s.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
“Daniel never knew. I never told him.”
I could barely process what she was saying.
Laura continued.
“Sophie found my name among some of Daniel’s old things about six months ago. She contacted Mia. They took a DNA test.”
My knees almost gave out beneath me.
“That’s why Sophie took the job at the resort?”
Laura nodded.
Sophie had discovered that she had a half sister.
And she had known for months.
“Has Mia contacted you recently?”
Laura’s jaw tightened.
“Barely. She left after we had an argument.”
“About what?”
Laura looked away.
“She was pregnant.”
“You knew?”
“Of course I knew.”
“What happened?”
“I told her the truth. She’s nineteen. She has no money and no stable place to live. She’s in no position to raise a baby.”
A chill moved through me.
“What exactly did you expect her to do?”
Laura folded her arms.
“If she couldn’t support the baby, I would find someone who could.”
And suddenly every strange detail clicked into place.
Sophie hadn’t stolen Mia’s baby.
She had been helping Mia hide her.
That was why Mia hadn’t gone home.
That was why Sophie had refused to tell me anything.
Laura was threatening to take Mia’s child away.
“Do you know where Mia is?” Laura asked.
“No.”
It was true.
But even if I had known, I realized I wouldn’t have told her.
I left Laura’s house, drove until I found an empty parking lot, and called Sophie.
“I know who Mia is.”
There was silence.
I could hear the baby fussing softly in the background.
“Mom…”
“Where is Mia, Sophie?”
Another silence.
“I need the real address. I want to hear the truth from her.”
An hour later, I stood outside a cheap motel room.
The door opened.
Mia looked much younger than nineteen.
She was clutching a phone charger in one hand as though it were the only thing keeping her grounded.
“You’re Sophie’s mom.”
“I am. Can I come in?”
She stepped aside.
The motel room smelled faintly of detergent and stale coffee.
Before I even sat down, Mia spoke.
“Laura would take her away from me.”
“She told me enough.”
Mia’s face changed.
“You saw her?”
“Yes.”
“I wasn’t going to let her decide whether I’m allowed to be my baby’s mother.”
“So you and Sophie made a plan.”
Mia nodded.
“She was only supposed to keep the baby for a few days. I’m working double shifts this week. Once I get paid, I’ll have enough for the deposit on a room.”
“And then?”
“I take my daughter back.”
Her voice was firm.
“Sophie wasn’t going to raise her. I just needed somewhere safe until Friday.”
I looked at Mia’s exhausted face and chapped hands.
She was barely more than a child herself.
And somehow she and Sophie had convinced themselves that they had to solve everything alone.
“Mia, you shouldn’t have to do this by yourself.”
Her shoulders immediately stiffened.
“Come home with me.”
“No.”
“You and your daughter can stay. No conditions.”
“You don’t understand.”
Mia stood.
“If Laura learns where I am, she’ll come here. And if she finds out where my daughter is—”
“She won’t hear it from me.”
Mia let out a bitter laugh.
“You’re her mother. Of course you’d say that.”
“Sophie’s mother.”
She looked directly at me.
“And you searched her things. You called the resort. You went to Laura. Then you found me.”
I stopped.
She was right.
I had spent days chasing answers because not knowing made me crazy.
