Inside were detailed proposals: a shelter for orphaned children, a scholarship program, a vocational training center. Each one represented an opportunity to do something meaningful, to perhaps fill the void Rachel had left. That night, for the first time since the betrayal, I felt a flicker of purpose.
A year passed. That sunny April morning, I stood before the construction site of the Robert Miller Children’s Home. The foundations were laid, the walls were rising. It was real.
After an inspection tour, Nora and I had lunch. “There’s something I need to tell you,” she said, hesitating. “I received news about Rachel and Derek.”
My heart skipped a beat. “What happened?”
“They separated. Derek returned to the US. Rachel is still in Portugal, working as a receptionist at a hotel in Lisbon.”
I absorbed the information in silence. “Did she ask about me?” The words escaped before I could stop them.
Nora shook her head. “No.”
That night, my phone rang. It was an unknown number. “Mrs. Marian Miller?” a young female voice asked. “My name is Hailey Carter. I’m one of the scholars from the Robert Foundation.”