\u201cLaura.\u201d<\/p>\n
The name hung in the room.<\/p>\n
Nobody moved.<\/p>\n
I looked at Michael.<\/p>\n
Then at Diane.<\/p>\n
Then at Ross.<\/p>\n
No one seemed to know what to say.<\/p>\n
Finally, I asked the only question I could think of.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Frank leave instructions for Laura?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked at the clock on the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he knew you would eventually ask that.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou’re still holding something back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI am.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Frank specifically told me not to tell you until you had spoken to Laura yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Laura.<\/p>\n
She was staring at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cLaura?\u201d<\/p>\n
She lifted her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is something Frank never told you.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed softly.<\/p>\n
At that point, I almost wanted to laugh every time someone said those words.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat could possibly be left?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura’s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should sit down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve been sitting down for hours.\u201d<\/p>\n
She gave me a sad smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean somewhere comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n
I didn’t move.<\/p>\n
\u201cTell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked at Michael.<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
She took a breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank didn’t find me twenty years ago by accident.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was looking for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don’t.\u201d<\/p>\n
She reached for a folder sitting beside her chair.<\/p>\n
It was old.<\/p>\n
The corners were worn.<\/p>\n
She placed it on the table.<\/p>\n
I didn’t touch it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMedical records.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart sank.<\/p>\n
\u201cYours?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She pushed it toward me.<\/p>\n
I opened the folder.<\/p>\n
The first page was dated nineteen years earlier.<\/p>\n
The patient’s name wasn’t Laura Bennett.<\/p>\n
It was someone else.<\/p>\n
A name I recognized.<\/p>\n
My hand froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is this?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the page.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour sister?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Michael.<\/p>\n
He remained silent.<\/p>\n
Laura continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Emily died, I disappeared. Frank searched for me for years. When he finally found me, I wasn’t alone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura’s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room went completely still.<\/p>\n
Diane whispered,<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Emily was the baby.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily was the first.\u201d<\/p>\n
My fingers tightened around the folder.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was another child?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was born two years after Emily died.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Michael.<\/p>\n
He had gone pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura didn’t answer.<\/p>\n
I stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank raised her.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane stood so quickly her chair fell backward.<\/p>\n
\u201cDad raised another child?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura’s voice was barely audible.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot exactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe paid someone else to raise her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I felt the room spinning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour husband had a daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ross stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn’t make sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt does.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said. \u201cDad only had us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cBiologically?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ross went silent.<\/p>\n
I could hear the clock.<\/p>\n
Tick.<\/p>\n
Tick.<\/p>\n
Tick.<\/p>\n
Laura reached for another photograph.<\/p>\n
She turned it toward me.<\/p>\n
A little girl stood beside a Christmas tree.<\/p>\n
Maybe six years old.<\/p>\n
Dark hair.<\/p>\n
Green eyes.<\/p>\n
I stared at her face.<\/p>\n
Something about her was familiar.<\/p>\n
Not because she looked like Frank.<\/p>\n
Because she looked like me.<\/p>\n
I whispered,<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer name is Anna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane covered her mouth.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is the reason Frank left you the cottage.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n
Then Michael finally said,<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is more.\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned toward him.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice was sharper than I intended.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo more surprises.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at Laura.<\/p>\n
Laura nodded.<\/p>\n
Michael opened his briefcase.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe child wasn’t Frank’s.\u201d<\/p>\n
I blinked.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna was Laura’s daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Laura.<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Frank wasn’t her biological father.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did he support her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the man who was her father abandoned us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd Frank stepped in?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank did more than that.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe took responsibility for a promise he never made.\u201d<\/p>\n
The sentence made no sense.<\/p>\n
Laura looked down at her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna’s father was my sister’s husband.\u201d<\/p>\n
I frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour sister?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe sister whose medical records are in that folder?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy sister became ill after Anna was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the photograph again.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen Anna was your niece.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat down slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would Frank support your niece?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura’s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause my sister was dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe promised her he would make sure Anna was safe.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Michael.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s the promise?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s the promise he kept for nineteen years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo the cottage wasn’t for Laura.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Michael said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was for Anna.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrank wanted Anna to have somewhere safe to grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut why didn’t he tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he knew you would love her.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd that was the problem?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn’t want you to feel responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked away.<\/p>\n
I thought about Frank.<\/p>\n
About all the things he had hidden because he thought he was protecting me.<\/p>\n
The irony was almost unbearable.<\/p>\n
He had spent nineteen years deciding what truths I could survive.<\/p>\n
I whispered,<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn’t trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe trusted your heart too much.\u201d<\/p>\n
That hurt even more.<\/p>\n
I stood and walked toward the window.<\/p>\n
Outside, the oak tree moved gently in the wind.<\/p>\n
For nineteen years, I had imagined Frank’s secrets as doors he had locked against me.<\/p>\n
Now I wondered if they had been doors he had been afraid to open because he knew I would walk through them.<\/p>\n
I turned around.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is Anna now?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobody answered.<\/p>\n
My pulse quickened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael finally spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is twenty.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwenty?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd she knows about Frank?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knows everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she know me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Frank didn’t want her to.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course he didn’t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura reached for my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cEileen.\u201d<\/p>\n
I pulled away.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to understand something.\u201d<\/p>\n
She waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid Frank love Anna?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura’s eyes softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike a daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at the photograph.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd did she know that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe knew there was a man who paid for her education. A man who sent birthday gifts. A man who visited her school performances without ever approaching her.\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe watched her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom a distance?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
Suddenly I remembered Frank’s strange absences.<\/p>\n
Business trips he hadn’t explained.<\/p>\n
Weekends when he said he needed to \u201ctake care of something.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had never questioned him.<\/p>\n
I had trusted him.<\/p>\n
Maybe too easily.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he ever meet her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
I opened my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a school recital.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe sat in the back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna didn’t know who he was.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Frank believed she deserved a normal life.\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat isn’t normal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it was what he thought was safest.\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked back to the table.<\/p>\n
The photograph was still there.<\/p>\n
I picked it up.<\/p>\n
Anna’s smile was bright.<\/p>\n
Uncomplicated.<\/p>\n
She looked like a child who had never been burdened by secrets.<\/p>\n
I wondered what it would feel like to learn, at twenty, that the man who had secretly paid for your entire life had died without ever telling you why.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe lives three hours away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes she know I’m here?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen how am I supposed to meet her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael pulled another envelope from his briefcase.<\/p>\n
My name was written on it.<\/p>\n
Again.<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate that briefcase.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the first time, Michael smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo did Frank.\u201d<\/p>\n
I took the envelope.<\/p>\n
It was heavier than the others.<\/p>\n
I opened it.<\/p>\n
Inside was a letter.<\/p>\n
Not from Frank.<\/p>\n
From Anna.<\/p>\n
I stared at the handwriting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael said nothing.<\/p>\n
I unfolded the page.<\/p>\n
The first sentence made my heart stop.<\/p>\n
\u201cDear Eileen, if you’re reading this, then Dad finally told you about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dad.<\/p>\n
Not Frank.<\/p>\n
Dad.<\/p>\n
My hands started shaking.<\/p>\n
I looked at Michael.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen did she write this?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLast month.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked back at the letter.<\/p>\n
I read the next line.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve known about you for six years.\u201d<\/p>\n
My breath caught.<\/p>\n
Six years.<\/p>\n
She had known about me.<\/p>\n
But I had never known about her.<\/p>\n
The letter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Coleman told me that one day I might meet the woman he loved more than anyone in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
A tear slipped down my cheek.<\/p>\n
I couldn’t continue.<\/p>\n
Diane came beside me.<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you want me to read it?\u201d<\/p>\n
I shook my head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I kept reading.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me you were kind.\u201d<\/p>\n
My vision blurred.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me you laughed when you were nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled despite myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me you never understood why he kept old receipts in the kitchen drawer.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed through my tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat idiot,\u201d I whispered.<\/p>\n
The letter continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me you were the reason he stopped being afraid of dying.\u201d<\/p>\n
I covered my mouth.<\/p>\n
I read the final paragraph.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know whether you will want me in your life. I don’t know whether meeting me will feel like another secret Frank left you to carry. But I want you to know something before you decide.\u201d<\/p>\n
I swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never wanted anything from him.\u201d<\/p>\n
The room was silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t want his money.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t want his house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t want his name.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI only wanted to know why he loved me enough to protect me, but not enough to tell me who I was.\u201d<\/p>\n
I lowered the letter.<\/p>\n
Nobody spoke.<\/p>\n
Then Diane whispered,<\/p>\n
\u201cShe sounds like us.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe sounds like what we should have been.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed softly.<\/p>\n
But they landed.<\/p>\n
Ross looked at the floor.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was obsessed with what Dad left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo was I.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd she only wanted to know why he left.\u201d<\/p>\n
I folded the letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWaiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the cottage.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
I looked at Laura.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew she was there?\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe wanted to meet you after the funeral.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn’t she come?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause she was afraid.\u201d<\/p>\n
I understood.<\/p>\n
Fear.<\/p>\n
That was the thing Frank had passed from one person to another for nineteen years.<\/p>\n
Fear of hurting.<\/p>\n
Fear of losing.<\/p>\n
Fear of being rejected.<\/p>\n
Fear of telling the truth.<\/p>\n
I looked at Diane and Ross.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m going.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diane stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo am I.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ross nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cMe too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Laura smiled faintly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Frank would have liked that.\u201d<\/p>\n
We drove back to the cottage.<\/p>\n
The sun was beginning to set.<\/p>\n
The same blue shutters.<\/p>\n
The same white fence.<\/p>\n
But now the house felt different.<\/p>\n
Not like a secret.<\/p>\n
Like a doorway.<\/p>\n
Michael opened the front door.<\/p>\n
The living room was empty.<\/p>\n
Then I heard footsteps upstairs.<\/p>\n
One.<\/p>\n
Two.<\/p>\n
Three.<\/p>\n
A young woman appeared at the top of the staircase.<\/p>\n
She was twenty.<\/p>\n
Maybe twenty-one.<\/p>\n
Dark hair.<\/p>\n
Green eyes.<\/p>\n
She held the railing with one hand.<\/p>\n
And when she looked at me, she started crying.<\/p>\n
I couldn’t move.<\/p>\n
She whispered,<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Coleman?\u201d<\/p>\n
My throat tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cEileen.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cEileen.\u201d<\/p>\n
She came down the stairs.<\/p>\n
Slowly.<\/p>\n
When she reached the bottom, she stopped a few feet away.<\/p>\n
Neither of us knew what to do.<\/p>\n
Then she said,<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me you smelled like vanilla.\u201d<\/p>\n
I laughed through my tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said that?\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you always wore the same perfume when you were nervous.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wiped my cheek.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t know he noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe noticed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n
She shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t be.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t know you existed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you knew about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn’t you ever come?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Frank asked me not to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of course.<\/p>\n
I almost laughed.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he tell you why?\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you had spent your whole life protecting everyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked back at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said you deserved one person who didn’t need anything from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart broke.<\/p>\n
I stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnna.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don’t need anything from me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you don’t owe me anything.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n
She took a shaky breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause I wanted to meet the woman my father loved.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stopped.<\/p>\n
My father.<\/p>\n
Not the man who supported her.<\/p>\n
Not Mr. Coleman.<\/p>\n
Her father.<\/p>\n
I reached out.<\/p>\n
She hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then took my hand.<\/p>\n
Her fingers were cold.<\/p>\n
Mine were shaking.<\/p>\n
For a few seconds, neither of us spoke.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered,<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I ask you something?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas he happy?\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
I remembered Frank laughing at the kitchen table.<\/p>\n
His terrible jokes.<\/p>\n
His coffee.<\/p>\n
His hand on my shoulder.<\/p>\n
His final night.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna started crying.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven after Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven after Laura?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven with all his secrets?\u201d<\/p>\n
I thought about it.<\/p>\n
Then I answered honestly.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked surprised.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was happy with me,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think he was tired of carrying secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think so too.\u201d<\/p>\n
Behind us, Diane was crying.<\/p>\n
Ross stood silently beside her.<\/p>\n
Laura watched from the doorway.<\/p>\n
And for the first time, I understood something.<\/p>\n
Frank’s final secret wasn’t Laura.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t the cottage.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t even Anna.<\/p>\n
His final secret was that he had spent nineteen years trying to build a family out of people who didn’t know they belonged to one another.<\/p>\n
He had failed in some ways.<\/p>\n
He had succeeded in others.<\/p>\n
But now the choice was ours.<\/p>\n
I squeezed Anna’s hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cCome home with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked startled.<\/p>\n
\u201cHome?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTo the house?\u201d<\/p>\n
I smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked toward the sunset beyond the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cHome doesn’t have to be the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anna smiled through her tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen where?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWherever we decide to build it.\u201d<\/p>\n
And for the first time since Frank died, I didn’t feel like I was standing inside the ruins of his life.<\/p>\n
I felt like I was standing at the beginning of mine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PART 5 \u201cLaura.\u201d The name hung in the room. Nobody moved. I looked at Michael. Then at Diane. Then at Ross. No one seemed to know what to say. Finally, I asked the only question I could think of. \u201cWhy would Frank leave instructions for Laura?\u201d Michael looked at the clock on the wall. \u201cBecause…<\/p>\n