“Why are you here?”
“She’s eighteen today.”
I asked the question that scared me most.
“I know how old my daughter is.”
Rachel’s expression soured.
“I gave birth to her. Hope wants to know me properly now.”
“What does that mean?”
“We’ve talked about spending time together. That’s why I’m here.”
“Today?”
“Why are you here?”
She shrugged delicately. “For a start. She mentioned staying with me for a while.”
The world narrowed.
I held up the envelope. “Did you write this?”
Rachel hesitated. “Yes.”
“Hope has been lying her whole life? She was a newborn when I found her. What on earth is this supposed to mean?”
“Did you write this?”
Rachel looked away. “I exaggerated a little. I knew you weren’t aware that we’d been in touch, and I thought—”
“You wanted me scared before you even spoke to me.”
She didn’t answer.
The note’s mystery was solved, but the answer was worse than I expected. Way worse. I turned back to look at my house. My daughter… was this really what Hope wanted?
The note’s mystery was solved, but the answer was worse than I expected.
“Claire, please.”
I heard Rachel behind me as I marched back home.
“You stay right there.” I pointed at my front steps. “You’re not entering my house until Hope explains what’s going on.”
But before I could grasp the doorknob, my front door flew open.
My daughter… was this really what Hope wanted?
Hope appeared wearing pajama shorts and an old sweatshirt.
“Mom?” She frowned at me.
“I’m here!” Rachel stepped forward.
The color drained from Hope’s face. She slowly turned to stare at Rachel.
“Rachel! What are you doing here?”
“I’m here!”
Rachel smiled weakly.
“Happy birthday.”
Hope didn’t move.
“I told you not to come.”
Those words changed everything.
“I told you not to come.”
Rachel had made it sound as if Hope wanted her there.
Hope’s face told me the opposite.
One of them had lied about what was supposed to happen next.
Rachel’s smile disappeared.
I turned toward Hope.
“What is going on here? Is it true that you sent her Bunny… that you’ve been speaking to her for years?”
One of them had lied about what was supposed to happen next.
Hope looked at Bunny in Rachel’s hand.
“She said she had nothing from me. That sometimes she wondered whether she’d imagined having me.” Her eyes filled. “She contacted me when I was fifteen. I answered because I was curious. That’s all it was at first. I was going to tell you…”
“When?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why? I’m… your mother. Why keep this secret?”
“I was going to tell you…”
Hope closed her eyes.
“Did you think I’d stop you?” I asked.
“No.”
“Then why hide it?”
Hope’s voice cracked.
“Because I knew it would hurt you.”
“Did you think I’d stop you?”
I almost laughed.
“So instead you lied.”
“I didn’t know how to tell you.”
Rachel stepped forward. “She was trying to protect you.”
Hope immediately snapped, “Don’t speak for me. You still haven’t explained why you’re here.”
Rachel stopped.
“So instead you lied.”
Rachel said softly, “Hope, we discussed this. You said you wanted to meet me, to stay with me for a while so we could get to know each other…”
“Eventually, not today,” Hope replied. “I told you not to come here, not until I was ready.”
“Wait.” I turned to Rachel. “You lied to me?”
Rachel’s face hardened.
“You lied to me?”
“I didn’t come here to be attacked.”
“Then why did you come?” I asked.
She looked at Hope.
“Because you’re MY daughter. I never stopped loving you, and I never stopped looking for you. Then I finally found you… and now I’m here, standing in front of you, at last.” She took a deep breath. “And you deserve to know what happened all those years ago.”
