Two weeks later, Suzanne sent me a message. Adriana, I know you probably hate us, and you have every right.

But I owe you an apology.

What I said in the lawyer’s office was cruel, and worse than cruel, it was true of how we always were.

I see now that we treated Sophia and Lucia as though they counted for less, only because they were girls.

I’m sorry.

I’ll be sorry for a long time.

I read it twice, and I chose not to answer — not to punish her, I want to be clear.

I no longer needed anything from any of them, and a reply would have been a thing I did for them, and I was finished doing things for them.