“I know that now.”
“You didn’t know then,” David said.
Maya looked at him, surprised by the lack of anger.
“I wanted to believe her,” she whispered. “I wanted to believe my mother had finally come back because she loved me.”
David took her hand.
Maya’s eyes filled with tears.
“I thought if I sent enough money, she would visit after Liam was born. I imagined her holding him. I imagined forgiving her.”
“You were hoping.”
“I was being foolish.”
“No.”
David’s voice was firm.
“You were hoping.”
Maya looked away.
Daniel tapped the table lightly.
“There’s one detail that matters. You said someone had been answering Marisol’s messages for her. Did the language change?”
Maya frowned.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Around October.”
“How?”
“The earlier messages were emotional. Sometimes confused. The newer ones were formal. They used business terms. I assumed someone was translating.”
“Do you still have all of them?”
