Grace shrank back, clutching the mug, but fate intervened when Laura accidentally dropped a folder. Papers spilled across the floor, and a laminated photo slid toward the child. Grace gasped and lunged forward.
“That is my mom,” she cried. “That is her.”
Jonathan picked up the badge. It belonged to a former night janitor named Paula Ramirez. Diane’s reaction was immediate and alarming. She tore the photo in half and threw it away.
“That woman was dismissed for incompetence,” she snapped. “This conversation is over.”
Jonathan felt something fracture inside him. The fury, the timing, the coincidence of dates all pointed toward a truth he had not yet dared to name. That night, he took Grace to his home, promising her safety, and as she slept in a guest room surrounded by unfamiliar comfort, Jonathan stared at her face and felt a terrible certainty grow. The shape of her eyes, the curve of her smile, matched memories he had tried to forget.