Caroline stood there. She wasn’t a stranger, but the woman who used to live three houses down from Daniel and me before disappearing! She’d brought over banana bread when Emma was born.
The moment she saw me, her face drained of color.
Behind her, a little girl peeked around her leg.
She had dark hair and Daniel’s eyes.
Caroline’s eyes filled with tears. “Where’s Daniel?”
“He died, but he left me a responsibility.”
“I never meant to destroy your family,” Caroline whispered.
“You asked him to leave us.”
Her shoulders shook. “Yes. I loved him.”
“The feeling wasn’t mutual.”
The honesty hit harder than denial would have.
“You asked him to leave us.”
“He knew he was dying,” I said. “That’s why he told me. He didn’t want your daughter left with nothing.”
