“There she is!” she whispered, eyes wide.
“Where?”
Junie pointed. “By the big tree, Mom! See? That’s her mom, and that lady’s with them again!”
“There she is!”
I followed my daughter’s gaze and my breath caught. A little girl, Junie’s mirror image, stood by a woman in a navy coat. The woman’s face was tight, watching us.
My stomach knotted.
And then, just behind them was a woman I thought I’d never see again.
Marla, the nurse. She was older, but there was no way I’d forget those eyes. She lingered like a shadow.
I tugged gently on Junie’s hand. “Come on, you need to run along, baby.”
She skipped off, calling, “Bye, Mom!” Lizzie ran toward her, instantly whispering secrets.
see you next page
I followed my daughter’s gaze.
I forced myself across the grass, my pulse thudding in my ears. “Marla?” My voice shook. “What are you doing here?”
Marla jumped, her eyes darting away. “Phoebe… I —”
Before she could finish, the woman in the navy coat stepped forward. “You must be Junie’s mother,” she said quietly. “I’m Suzanne. We… we need to talk.”
I stared at her, my fury and fear fighting for space.
“How long have you known, Suzanne?”
“What are you doing here?”
Her face crumpled. “Two years. Lizzy needed blood after an accident, and my husband and I weren’t matches. I started digging. I found the altered record.”
“Two years,” I repeated. “You had two years to knock on my door.”
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