My uncle once asked me, ‘Are you a virgin?’ when I was already 27 years old. From that moment, I started to be afraid of him. And a few days later, when he took me to a hotel outside the city, he leaned close to my ear by the pool and whispered, ‘After the pool, come up to my room…’”

I lowered the letter.

Sarah was watching me.

“Your uncle told you about my mother?”

“Yes.”

“He believes my mother was hurt by your father.”

“He said he didn’t know the whole story.”

Sarah nodded slowly.

“Neither do I. That’s why I wanted to find you.”

She opened the envelope again and showed me the photograph.

It was the same one Richard had shown me, but the back contained a handwritten note.

For the two girls who deserved better than the secrets we left them.

I read the words again.

Two girls.

I looked at Sarah.

“Do you know what happened between our families?”

She shook her head.

“Only what my mother told me. She said your father made a decision that changed all our lives. She never told me what the decision was.”

I sat back in my chair.

For years, I had believed my father was a good man who had simply died too young. I had believed my mother had been honest with me about our family. I had believed Richard was the uncle who would always protect me.