Chapter 3 - The First Crack in Their Story
Vanessa moved closer and gently touched my arm.
“Graham, darling, she’s confused.
This isn’t the place for a family conversation.”
Her smile looked strained.
My mother hurried forward.
“Harper, sweetheart, come with Grandma.
Your father has guests to take care of.”
Harper immediately stepped backward.
“No!
You told Mommy he didn’t want us anymore!”
Several guests exchanged uneasy looks.
I turned toward Diane.
“What is she talking about?”
My mother shook her head.
“She’s a child, Graham.
Children misunderstand things.”
Harper pulled a folded piece of paper from her envelope.
“Then why did you give Mommy this?”
I took it carefully.
It was a printed email bearing my name.
The message said I wanted Natalie to stop contacting me and that I had already decided Harper would be better off living with her mother.
I stared at the words.
I had never written them.
“Where did you get this?”
“Mommy kept it because she couldn’t understand why you stopped loving us.”
My throat tightened.
“Harper, I never stopped loving you.”
She began crying harder.
“Then why didn’t you come?”
I couldn’t answer.
May you like
Because until that moment, I hadn’t known where to look.
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