For years, she had imagined what having a sister might be like. She had pictured birthdays, shared secrets, and someone who understood the loneliness of growing up without a mother.
She had never imagined meeting that sister on a rainy porch after discovering a family secret.
“How did you know about the letter?” Emily asked.
Anna reached into her bag and pulled out a small notebook.
“Because I sent it.”
Emily looked at her father.
“You knew she was coming?”
“No,” Richard said. “I swear.”
Anna shook her head.
“I found Mom’s letters after she died. She’d asked a lawyer to keep copies for us. I only recently discovered the one she wrote to you.”
“Why now?”
Anna looked toward the street.
“Because someone has been asking questions about our family again.”
Richard shut the door.
“Who?”
Anna hesitated.
“Someone who worked for Grandfather. Someone who believes the things I discovered all those years ago could still destroy him.”
“But Grandfather is dead,” Emily said.
“Yes,” Anna replied. “But his business wasn’t.”
She placed the notebook on the table.
Inside were names, dates, and copies of old documents. Anna explained that she had spent years trying to understand what her grandfather had been involved in. She had gathered evidence, but she’d never known whom she could trust.
“Mom knew some of this,” Anna said. “She wanted us to have the truth. That’s why she kept writing letters.”
Emily turned to the final page of the notebook.
