“No.”
“Did Daniel know about her?”
Owen hesitated.
“Yes.”
I turned.
“Then he knew he had a daughter?”
“Yes.”
“And he never contacted us?”
Owen’s face crumpled.
“He was ashamed, Claire. He kept saying he would make things right when he got his life together.”
I shook my head.
“She deserved better.”
“I know.”
“And so did I.”
He nodded.
For the first time since entering that office, I noticed a second envelope beneath the photograph.
It was addressed to Greta.
The handwriting wasn’t Owen’s.
“What’s that?”
Owen looked down.
“Daniel wrote it.”
“When?”
“A few months before he died.”
My throat tightened.
“Why didn’t you give it to me?”
“Because he asked me to wait until she was older.”
“And you thought that meant you could keep it from her mother?”
Owen looked at me helplessly.
“No. I thought I was protecting her. But I understand now that I was protecting myself from a difficult conversation.”
I picked up the envelope.
It was sealed.
My daughter’s name was written across the front.
I held it for a long time.
Then I put it in my bag.
“I’ll decide when she’s ready to read this,” I said. “And when that day comes, she can decide what it means to her.”
Owen nodded.
“I understand.”
“No,” I said quietly. “I don’t think you do. You have been part of our family for eight years. You were there when Greta learned to ride a bike. You were there for school plays and birthdays. You were there when she broke her arm.”
His eyes filled again.
“Those things were real.”
“I believe you.”
He looked up hopefully.
“But that doesn’t erase the lie.”
I walked toward the door.
“Claire?”
I stopped.
“Am I going to lose her?”
It was the first question he’d asked that sounded completely honest.
“I don’t know,” I said.
And I meant it.
I found Greta sitting at a picnic table outside her cabin.
She was making a friendship bracelet with another girl.
The moment she saw me, her face lit up.
“Mom!”
She ran into my arms.
I held her longer than usual.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“Everything’s okay, sweetheart. I just needed to check on something.”
“Did Owen forget to sign a paper?”
I almost cried.
“Something like that.”
She pulled away and looked toward the office.
