The attorney told us not to panic.<\/p>\n
That was exactly what made me panic.<\/p>\n
\u201cHas Thomas contacted anyone?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot directly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how do we know he's looking?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe investigator's records.\u201d<\/p>\n
He slid a folder across the desk.<\/p>\n
There were invoices.<\/p>\n
Search requests.<\/p>\n
Public-record inquiries.<\/p>\n
Addresses.<\/p>\n
Dates.<\/p>\n
Thomas had been searching for Anna for nearly four years.<\/p>\n
The first request had been filed shortly after Lacey's cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n
Jeremy read the documents.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe knew she survived.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the dates.<\/p>\n
One search occurred two months before Lacey married Jeremy.<\/p>\n
Another happened after her treatment began.<\/p>\n
The last was only six weeks before she died.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Lacey know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's why she was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
The attorney nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe believed Thomas would use Anna to gain access to money connected to the family.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat money?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey inherited a trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow much?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEnough to attract attention.\u201d<\/p>\n
The amount wasn't the important part.<\/p>\n
The important part was that the trust had a clause.<\/p>\n
If Lacey died without children, the money would pass to her father.<\/p>\n
If she had a living child, it would belong to that child.<\/p>\n
Anna.<\/p>\n
That changed everything.<\/p>\n
Thomas had not been looking for Anna because he wanted to reconnect with his granddaughter.<\/p>\n
He may have been looking for her because she stood between him and the inheritance.<\/p>\n
Jeremy clenched his jaw.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never cared about her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don't know that,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
He looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe not.\u201d<\/p>\n
The attorney interrupted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to separate what we know from what we suspect.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was right.<\/p>\n
We had evidence of the searches.<\/p>\n
We had the trust.<\/p>\n
We did not know Thomas's motives.<\/p>\n
But we knew enough to take the threat seriously.<\/p>\n
Anna refused to disappear.<\/p>\n
\u201cI've already spent twenty-one years hidden,\u201d she said. \u201cI'm not doing it again.\u201d<\/p>\n
We met in my living room.<\/p>\n
Jeremy sat beside her.<\/p>\n
The attorney explained the situation.<\/p>\n
Anna listened without interrupting.<\/p>\n
When he finished, she asked, \u201cCan he take the money?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot automatically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cCan he find me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happens if he does?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou decide whether you want contact.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would you do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'd stay away from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he has already used fear to control your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI would let you decide.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou always say that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it's true.\u201d<\/p>\n
The attorney arranged additional legal protection around the trust.<\/p>\n
Anna became the legal beneficiary.<\/p>\n
The documents were changed to ensure no one else could control the funds on her behalf.<\/p>\n
She didn't seem interested in the money.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't want it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't have to use it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI'd rather give some to Mom's medical fund.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was Lacey's wish.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd some to people who need cancer treatment.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe'd like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna nodded.<\/p>\n
Then came the question none of us wanted.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do we do about Thomas?\u201d<\/p>\n
The attorney said, \u201cNothing unless he contacts you.\u201d<\/p>\n
But two days later, he did.<\/p>\n
A letter arrived.<\/p>\n
No return address.<\/p>\n
Inside was a single page.<\/p>\n
Anna,<\/p>\n
I know who you are.<\/p>\n
I know your mother died.<\/p>\n
I know your father is Jeremy Tolley.<\/p>\n
I have been trying to find you.<\/p>\n
We need to talk.<\/p>\n
There was no threat.<\/p>\n
No demand.<\/p>\n
Only a phone number.<\/p>\n
Anna stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat should I do?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
He didn't answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou decide,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
She thought for a long time.<\/p>\n
Then she called the number.<\/p>\n
A man answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is Anna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then a man's voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're Lacey's daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMy God.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sounded emotional.<\/p>\n
Anna's face hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou've been looking for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to know you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI've known about you for years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's not what I asked.\u201d<\/p>\n
The man sighed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother and I had problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't answer me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He sounded older than I expected.<\/p>\n
\u201cI made mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know I was alive?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter you were born.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know my mother was told I died?\u201d<\/p>\n
Another silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked at me.<\/p>\n
I could see anger rising in her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI suspected.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't you tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was better that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words made my stomach turn.<\/p>\n
\u201cBetter for whom?\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn't answer.<\/p>\n
Anna ended the call.<\/p>\n
She sat quietly.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at us.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn't get to decide for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe doesn't get to suddenly become my grandfather.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I want to know why he did it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou deserve answers.\u201d<\/p>\n
We arranged a meeting in a public place.<\/p>\n
Thomas arrived alone.<\/p>\n
He was older than I had imagined.<\/p>\n
Gray hair.<\/p>\n
Expensive coat.<\/p>\n
A walking cane.<\/p>\n
He looked at Anna for a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look like Lacey.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna didn't smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat's what everyone says.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas sat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI've wanted to meet you for twenty-one years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou had twenty-one years.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat your mother would hate me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe did.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI deserved it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you know my father?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you hate him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did you let them separate us?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at Jeremy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't know the adoption had happened the way it did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was told the child was dead.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho told you?\u201d<\/p>\n
Thomas looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mother?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said Lacey had miscarried.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt cold.<\/p>\n
The story was becoming more complicated.<\/p>\n
Thomas continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believed her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why search later?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Lacey contacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYears later.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she believed the child had survived.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you didn't tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried to investigate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou hired the investigator.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I wanted proof.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn't enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna remained silent.<\/p>\n
Thomas reached into his coat.<\/p>\n
He removed an envelope.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis belonged to your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna stared.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLacey gave it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore she died.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would she?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she wanted me to find you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna took the envelope.<\/p>\n
She opened it.<\/p>\n
Inside was a photograph of Lacey holding Anna as a newborn.<\/p>\n
On the back was another note.<\/p>\n
If you find her, don't tell her what to believe. Just tell her I loved her.<\/p>\n
Anna began to cry.<\/p>\n
Thomas looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI failed your mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna wiped her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't get to use her words to make yourself innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou let everyone else decide my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
She folded the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know if I forgive you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't have to.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI may never want to see you again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna walked away.<\/p>\n
Outside, she stopped.<\/p>\n
Jeremy caught up with her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou okay?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stood beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you think people can love someone and still hurt them?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes that make the hurt less real?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood.\u201d<\/p>\n
They stood together.<\/p>\n
I watched from the doorway.<\/p>\n
The past had finally been placed in front of the people it belonged to.<\/p>\n
No one had escaped responsibility.<\/p>\n
No one had been declared innocent.<\/p>\n
But Anna had something she had never had before.<\/p>\n
A choice.<\/p>\n
That night, she came home with us.<\/p>\n
She slept in the guest room.<\/p>\n
In the morning, she came downstairs holding the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to keep looking.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor what?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jeremy looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the whole story.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood immediately.<\/p>\n
She wanted to know who she had been before anyone lied.<\/p>\n
She wanted to know Lacey before cancer.<\/p>\n
Jeremy before marriage.<\/p>\n
Me before guilt.<\/p>\n
Evelyn before secrecy.<\/p>\n
Thomas before regret.<\/p>\n
She wanted all of it.<\/p>\n
And I realized the final part of our story would not be about finding Anna.<\/p>\n
We had already found her.<\/p>\n
Now we had to learn how to live with the truth.<\/p>\n
The attorney told us not to panic. That was exactly what made me panic. \u201cHas Thomas contacted anyone?\u201d \u201cNot directly.\u201d \u201cThen how do we know he's looking?\u201d \u201cThe investigator's records.\u201d … <\/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-3382","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\/3382","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=3382"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3397,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3382\/revisions\/3397"}],"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=3382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/readstoryus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}