The woman's name was Margaret Hale.<\/p>\n
I found it written on the back of three photographs.<\/p>\n
She had been Evelyn's closest friend.<\/p>\n
According to the notes, Margaret had helped Evelyn after Lacey left Nashville.<\/p>\n
I searched through the old address book we found in the trunk.<\/p>\n
There were dozens of names.<\/p>\n
Most were crossed out.<\/p>\n
Margaret's wasn't.<\/p>\n
Beside her name was an address outside Franklin.<\/p>\n
Jeremy stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember that house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been there?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Lacey left.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother took me there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was quiet for several seconds.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe I was supposed to.\u201d<\/p>\n
We drove there that afternoon.<\/p>\n
Neither of us spoke much.<\/p>\n
The photograph sat between us in an envelope.<\/p>\n
I had looked at it so many times that the little girl's face was beginning to feel familiar.<\/p>\n
That frightened me.<\/p>\n
At the end of a narrow road stood a white farmhouse surrounded by old oak trees.<\/p>\n
A woman answered the door.<\/p>\n
She was in her late seventies.<\/p>\n
Gray hair.<\/p>\n
Thin shoulders.<\/p>\n
Sharp eyes.<\/p>\n
She looked at Jeremy first.<\/p>\n
Then at me.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou found it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at the envelope in my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know who she is?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret stepped aside.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome in.\u201d<\/p>\n
We entered a living room filled with old furniture and framed photographs.<\/p>\n
Margaret closed the door.<\/p>\n
Then she sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should have come years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy remained standing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is the girl?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stopped breathing for a moment.<\/p>\n
I sat beside him.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
Margaret nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey gave birth to her.\u201d<\/p>\n
My hands went numb.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Lacey said she miscarried.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBelieved?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was told the baby had died.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy's face drained of color.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret folded her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the baby wasn't safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey was young. Jeremy was young. Neither of them had money. Neither had stability. Evelyn believed the child would be better raised by another family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't explain why she lied.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe didn't want Lacey to come back.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy's voice shook.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe stole my daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen what did she do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe arranged an adoption.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence filled the room.<\/p>\n
\u201cWithout telling me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
He was staring at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret didn't answer immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was adopted by a family in Tennessee.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat's her name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can't give you that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I promised.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo my mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Lacey.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey knew?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't she tell Jeremy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he would try to take the girl away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy shook his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn't have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't know that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, I do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were young.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was her father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were twenty-two.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was still her father.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood and walked to a cabinet.<\/p>\n
She removed a small box.<\/p>\n
Inside were letters.<\/p>\n
One was addressed to Lacey.<\/p>\n
Another to Evelyn.<\/p>\n
Another to Jeremy.<\/p>\n
The envelope bearing Jeremy's name had never been opened.<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOpen it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then tore it.<\/p>\n
The letter was dated 2005.<\/p>\n
His eyes moved across the page.<\/p>\n
He read silently.<\/p>\n
Then he handed it to me.<\/p>\n
My hands trembled.<\/p>\n
The letter was from Lacey.<\/p>\n
She had discovered that her daughter had survived.<\/p>\n
She had learned that Evelyn had arranged the adoption.<\/p>\n
She had begged Evelyn for the child's name.<\/p>\n
Evelyn refused.<\/p>\n
Lacey wrote that she would search for her.<\/p>\n
Then the letter ended with one sentence.<\/p>\n
If Jeremy ever learns the truth, tell him I never stopped looking.<\/p>\n
I looked at Margaret.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMany times.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEvelyn threatened to take the child away from the adoptive family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does if you understand what Evelyn believed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she believe?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat Lacey would destabilize the girl's life.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe had no right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut she believed she was protecting everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe destroyed everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret didn't disagree.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is my daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou just said she was adopted.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen someone knows.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe adoption was handled through a private agency.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat agency?\u201d<\/p>\n
She gave us the name.<\/p>\n
We wrote it down.<\/p>\n
I asked, \u201cDoes the agency still exist?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how do we find her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough the records.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAre they sealed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour daughter may not be your daughter legally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe adoption paperwork was unusual.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret's voice dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe name on the birth certificate wasn't Jeremy Tolley.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat name was used?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cThomas Reed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy's face went white.<\/p>\n
I felt the room tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Thomas Reed?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey's father.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pieces shifted again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would they use his name?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Evelyn didn't want Jeremy connected to the child.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed he would leave you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
Margaret continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed that if you knew you had a daughter, you'd eventually go looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was right.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Lacey ever meet her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAbout ten years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart pounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe saw her in a grocery store.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid she talk to her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe couldn't.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret's eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was afraid that if she approached her, the adoptive parents would find out who she was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy sat down.<\/p>\n
He covered his face.<\/p>\n
Twenty-two years.<\/p>\n
Twenty-two years of believing there had been no child.<\/p>\n
I reached for his hand.<\/p>\n
He didn't move.<\/p>\n
Then he whispered, \u201cWhat's her name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Anna.<\/p>\n
A name.<\/p>\n
A real person.<\/p>\n
Our daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat's her last name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know what she uses now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty-one.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
Twenty-one.<\/p>\n
She had been born in 2005.<\/p>\n
The photograph was real.<\/p>\n
The pregnancy had been real.<\/p>\n
The child had survived.<\/p>\n
Lacey had known.<\/p>\n
Evelyn had known.<\/p>\n
Margaret had known.<\/p>\n
And Jeremy and I had lived our entire marriage without knowing our daughter was alive.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to find her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if she doesn't want us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen we respect that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if she hates us?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has every right.\u201d<\/p>\n
He swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn't understand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if she hates you?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has the right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Margaret watched us.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should be prepared for something.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna may not know anything about you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause her adoptive parents were told her birth parents were dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
I felt a strange mixture of grief and hope.<\/p>\n
A daughter had been alive somewhere for twenty-one years.<\/p>\n
She had grown up without us.<\/p>\n
And now we were going to have to decide whether finding her was an act of love or another disruption in a life someone else had already built.<\/p>\n
Margaret gave us one final envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was left for her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBy Lacey?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
Inside was a photograph.<\/p>\n
Lacey was much younger.<\/p>\n
She was holding a newborn baby.<\/p>\n
The infant was wrapped in a yellow blanket.<\/p>\n
On the back, Lacey had written:<\/p>\n
For Anna, if you ever find this. I loved you every day I was alive.<\/p>\n
I pressed the photograph to my chest.<\/p>\n
Jeremy turned away.<\/p>\n
His shoulders shook.<\/p>\n
For the first time, I saw him cry for the child he had never known.<\/p>\n
And I realized the secret Lacey had left behind wasn't meant to destroy our marriage.<\/p>\n
It was meant to give us one last chance to find the person who had been missing from all our lives.<\/p>\n
The woman's name was Margaret Hale. I found it written on the back of three photographs. She had been Evelyn's closest friend. According to the notes, Margaret had helped Evelyn … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-readmore"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3377"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3392,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3377\/revisions\/3392"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}