“You looked like Mom. You sounded like her.”
I remembered those years.
Amelia spent weekends at my house even before Claire died.
Of course she wanted me.
Her father decided staying close to Claire’s family would prevent Amelia from moving forward.
He convinced himself that cutting contact completely would help her heal.
“I don’t think that was the only reason,” I said.
Amelia nodded.
“Neither do I.”
“He was terrified,” I said. “He had already lost Claire. And then his daughter kept asking for her mother’s family.”
“He thought he might lose you too.”
“He panicked.”
“Yes.”
Amelia wiped her eyes.
“Then he moved us.”
“And one lie required another lie.”
“When I got older and asked questions, he changed details.”
“Eventually the story had existed so long that challenging it felt like betraying him.”
“He isolated me from everyone on Mom’s side because that made the lie easier to maintain.”
