“My uncle once asked me, ‘Are you a virgin?’ when I was already 27 years old. From that moment, I started to be afraid of him. And a few days later, when he took me to a hotel outside the city, he leaned close to my ear by the pool and whispered, ‘After the pool, come up to my room…’

I stared at the paper for a long time.

Then I picked up my phone.

Richard didn’t stop me when I took a photograph of the letter. He didn’t ask me to promise secrecy. He didn’t insist that I stay in the room.

He simply sat quietly while I decided what to do.

I saved Sarah’s number.

“I want to meet her,” I said.

Richard nodded.

“I thought you might.”

“And I want copies of every document you have.”

“You’ll have them.”

“And if I discover you’ve lied to me about anything, I will never forgive you.”

He looked at me with an expression I would remember for the rest of my life.

“You have every right to say that.”

I stood and walked toward the door.

Before I left, I turned back.

“One more thing.”

Richard looked up.

“When you asked me that question, you made me afraid of you.”