Chapter 3: The Letter He Never Sent
The date beneath the photograph was five months before Lily was born.
Daniel and I had already been married for two years.
“Say it plainly,” I told the woman.
“I can’t stand here guessing.”
“My name is Rachel,” she said.
“Daniel was Annie’s father.”
Lily reached for me, but I stepped back without meaning to.
Her hand remained suspended between us.
“How long have you known?” I asked her.
“Since Monday.”
“Four days?”
“I found the watch in Dad’s old sewing box.
The back opened, Mom.
Rachel’s name and address were folded inside.”
Rachel placed the envelope on my kitchen table.
“Daniel wrote this shortly before he passed away.
He never mailed it.”
“You expect me to read his excuses with you watching?”
“No,” Rachel said.
“I expect you to read what he wrote about his brother.”
I looked up.
“Martin?”
Annie moved closer to her mother.
“Uncle Martin came to our apartment after Daniel was gone.”
“Don’t call him uncle,” Rachel said sharply.
“What did Martin want?”
“He told me the monthly payments would stop.
When I mentioned Daniel’s promise about Annie’s education, Martin said there was no account.”
Lily took the letter and unfolded it.
“Mom, Dad wrote, ‘If anything happens to me, Martin has the trust documents.
Half is for Lily and half is for Annie.’”
“There was no trust.” I pressed both hands against the table.
“Martin handled Daniel’s estate.
He showed me every account.”
Rachel’s mouth tightened.
“Then he lied to both of us.”
“Why didn’t you come sooner?”
“I tried.” Rachel pulled three unopened envelopes from her bag.
Each one bore my name and the word RETURNED.
“Martin said you knew about Annie and wanted nothing to do with her.”
“I never saw these.”
“He also said he would tell Annie’s school that I had been harassing your family.”
Annie stared at the floor.
“Mom was afraid I’d lose my place in the music program.”
I turned to Lily.
“Why did you make the dress before telling me?”
“Annie wouldn’t believe me when I said Dad was in that photograph.
She thought I was making fun of her.”
“That’s why you came home crying?”
Lily nodded.
“She said if it was true, then I had everything Dad meant to give her.”
Annie’s eyes filled.
“I shouldn’t have said that.”
“But you weren’t wrong,” Lily answered.
“You had nothing from him except a secret.”
My knees struck the chair as I sat down.
Rachel reached toward me, then stopped.
“Did Daniel love you?” I asked.
Rachel’s face folded.
“He said what happened between us was a mistake.
But Annie was never a mistake.”
“Did he keep seeing you?”
“No.
Not after she was born.
He sent money, photographs, and birthday cards.
He saw Annie twice in public places.”
“You let my husband lie to me for sixteen years.”
“Yes,” Rachel whispered.
“And I will be sorry for that for the rest of my life.”
Lily crouched beside my chair.
“Mom, please look at me.”
“I don’t know what I’m looking at anymore.”
Her words came out through tears.
“You’re looking at your daughter, who was terrified you’d hate her for finding the truth.”
That sentence broke what little strength I had left.
I covered my face, and Lily wrapped both arms around me.
“I could never hate you,” I said.
“Never you.”
Annie began crying beside Rachel.
Lily reached out without lifting her head, and Annie took her hand.
The telephone rang on the kitchen wall.
I wiped my face and answered.
“Hello?”
Martin’s voice was calm.
May you like
“I hear Rachel finally found her way to your door,” he said.
“Before you believe a word she says, you need to know what your daughter has done.”
