My first instinct was to refuse.

I wanted to protect Ellie from the kind of rejection that had hurt her mother.

But then I remembered her little drawing.

Her hopeful voice asking whether our family would ever grow.

And I realized that this decision wasn’t about what Richard deserved.

It was about what Ellie might need.

I took a long breath.

“I’m not forgiving you,” I said.

Richard nodded.

“I understand.”

“I haven’t forgotten what you did to Claire and Daniel.”

“I know.”

“But Ellie deserves the chance to know where she comes from.”

He looked up.

“Does that mean—”

“I’ll bring her tomorrow,” I said. “For her sake. Not yours.”

Richard began crying again.

***

The next afternoon, I took Ellie to St. Luke’s Hospital.

On the drive there, I told her a little about her mother’s family.

She listened carefully.

“Mommy had a daddy?” she asked.