My father closed his eyes.
“Don’t,” he said.
But Julian unfolded the letter anyway.
He did not read it aloud. He handed it to me.
The handwriting was delicate, slanted, almost beautiful. At the top was my mother’s name.
Forgive me. I thought I could build a new life on a hidden sin, but no house stands forever on a lie.
I looked up, shaking.
Dad’s face was wet with tears.
“She and Adrian stole money from the company where I worked,” he said. “Not much at first. Then more. When the investigation began, Adrian disappeared. Your mother panicked. She begged me to protect her because she was pregnant with you.”
“With me?” I whispered.
My father nodded slowly.
“I signed a confession for part of it. I lost my career. I lost my name. But I kept you safe.”
