I thanked him for loving my son, for taking photographs, for teaching Tobias that kindness was not weakness.

I folded the letter and placed it inside the notebook.

Some gratitude arrives too late to be delivered.

It can still be true.

PART 22

The agency review took months.

By spring, Andrea called with an update: the office handling historical adoption records had accepted the additional statements and flagged the disputed letter as challenged.

It would not be treated as an uncontested expression of my wishes in future authorized disclosures.