He paused. “What are you talking about?”
My heart pounded. My mouth went dry.
And then, with my mother’s porch-swing voice echoing in my head—choose yourself—I said the sentence that turned my world upside down all over again.
“Melissa isn’t your daughter, Dad.”
The silence on the other end of the line felt endless.
So complete I couldn’t even hear his breathing.
And in that quiet, I realized there was no going back—no matter what he said next.
