“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 read the words again.

Two girls.

I looked at Sarah.

“Do you know what happened between our families?”

She shook her head.

“Only what my mother told me. She said your father made a decision that changed all our lives. She never told me what the decision was.”

I sat back in my chair.

For years, I had believed my father was a good man who had simply died too young. I had believed my mother had been honest with me about our family. I had believed Richard was the uncle who would always protect me.