The handwriting was unmistakable.
Anna,
I don’t know if you will ever read this. I’m not sure I deserve that chance. But I need to say what I never had the courage to say when you were still in my life.
What I did to you was the greatest mistake I ever made.
You gave me life. Literally. And I repaid you with betrayal.
Not a single year passed that I didn’t think about it. I wanted to call you so many times. I even dialed your number once, but I hung up before it rang.
I was ashamed.
I know I can’t undo what I did. But I want you to know that the life you gave me mattered. I spent it trying to be a good mother to Emily.
She wants to become a doctor someday.
Maybe, in some small way, that will honor the gift you gave me.
I’m sorry, Anna.
Always,
MelissaFor illustrative purposes only
By the time I finished reading, my vision was blurred with tears.
Across the desk, Emily watched me anxiously.
“My mom talked about you all the time near the end,” she said quietly. “She said you were the reason she got to live long enough to raise me.”
She hesitated, then added softly:
