Chapter 5 - THE LETTER HE NEVER SENT
Vincent wrote Claire a letter.
Then another.
Then a third.
He tore them all apart.
Every version sounded wrong.
I'm sorry.
Too small.
I didn't understand.
A lie.
I want to meet my daughter.
Too selfish.
Finally, he wrote only the truth.
Claire, I abandoned you when you needed me most. I abandoned Emily before she had even opened her eyes. I have no excuse. I am asking for the opportunity to apologize, not for forgiveness I haven't earned.
He stared at the page.
Then added:
Whatever you decide, I will respect it.
He sent the letter through Madison.
When I received it, I read it twice.
Then folded it carefully.
Madison watched me.
“What do you think?”
“I think he finally learned how to write a sentence without making it an order.”
She smiled faintly.
“That's progress.”
I looked down.
“It's not enough.”
“No,” Madison agreed. “It isn't.”
Emily asked about Vincent every day.
Not constantly.
Not dramatically.
But in small, heartbreaking ways.
“Does he like pancakes?”
“Does he have a dog?”
“Does he know how to ride a bicycle?”
One evening, she asked:
“Did he want me?”
I put down the book I was reading.
“Emily.”
She looked at me.
“It's okay if he didn't.”
My chest tightened.
“No, sweetheart. It isn't okay.”
She blinked.
I moved closer.
“Your dad made a wrong choice. But that choice says something about him, not about you.”
Emily leaned against me.
“Do you think he loves me now?”
I closed my eyes.
“I don't know.”
She nodded.
Then whispered, “I want to ask him.”
The next morning, I called Madison.
“Tell Vincent I'll consider one supervised meeting.”
Madison paused.
“Are you sure?”
“No.”
May you like
I looked toward Emily's bedroom.
“But I think she deserves the chance to ask her own questions.”
