My father texted me, ‘To us, you’re already dead,’ and I only replied,

the baby to a private adoption intermediary. But there were irregularities. No court placement. No valid consent hearing. No verifiable adoption order. The intermediary vanished within two years.”

I stared at the photograph.

Anna Reyes.

A name that had belonged to me before Valerie Bennett.

“Who was my mother?” I asked.

Helen’s expression tightened with continue reading …