The Truth That Broke Us

ven two hours without stopping, the old contract from her mother still in her bag. Her mind was racing, her heart in her throat. She wasn't sure what she was searching for truth, may

?" "She visited him," Marlene said quietly. "Said she wanted to make things right. That she had something to offer." "What did she offer?" Ava's voice cracked. Marlene hesitated. "A child. Yours. Or hers. Or theirs. I honestly don't know. But your father's notes said: 'The debt is paid.'" Ava's vision blurred. Everything she thought she knew her childhood, her marriage, her motherhood felt like a script someone else had written. "Did you know this whole time?" she whispered. "I suspected," Marlene admitted. "But I thought you were happy. I didn't want to be the one to take that away." Ava stood quickly, her anger boiling over. "This isn't about happiness. This is about truth. And everyone around me chose lies." She grabbed her bag, heading for the door. "Where's the lawyer who helped draft this?" "Gone," Marlene said. "Disappeared two days after your father died." "Convenient," Ava muttered bitterly. Marlene followed her. "Don't go chasing ghosts, Ava. Sometimes it's better to let the past go. You still