Then she called again and said —” Sophie stopped.
“What?”
“She said you tried to take me away from her when I was little.
That you dragged me into court.
That you tried to ruin my childhood.”
“I filed for custody.
I never tried to ruin anything.
I wanted my daughter back.”
Sophie pressed her hands against her face.
“I believed her.
For years.
Every time you called, she’d say, ‘There she goes again.
Always about her.
Never about you.’ And I believed her.”
Clara reached across the counter.
She didn’t grab Sophie’s hand.
She just placed hers there, open.
Sophie took it.
“I have one more thing to show you,” Clara said.
She pulled out her phone and opened a folder.
Inside were dozens of messages — texts she’d sent Sophie over the years that were never opened.
Birthday wishes.
Photos.
A video of Clara at Sophie’s high school graduation, standing in the back row, watching from a distance.
