He looked at me.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Several times.”
Elena stared at him.
“You said you were handling it!”
Julian rubbed his forehead.
“I said I would look into it.”
“And what did you do?”
He did not answer.
Chloe looked at her mother.
“Did you ever come to our house?”
Elena’s eyes filled with fresh tears.
“No.”
“Did you ever ask Dad to meet you somewhere?”
“No.”
“Did you ever send us a birthday card?”
Elena lowered her head.
“No.”
Maya finally spoke.
“Then why did you tell people Dad kept us away from you?”
Elena looked at her youngest daughter.
For a moment, she seemed unable to recognize the young woman standing in front of her.
“I thought he hated me,” she whispered.
Maya shook her head.
“That doesn’t explain why you never tried.”
Elena covered her mouth.
And then the unexpected twist arrived.
Not from Chloe.
Not from me.
