“Yes, a very severe one.”

“And they stayed estranged for decades over that?” I asked, amazed.

“Stubborn pride has torn families apart over far less,” Samantha observed grimly.

That statement felt painfully true and believable.

“Did they ever reconcile before Madeline passed away?” I asked.

“They achieved a partial reconciliation,” Samantha shared, opening another clean folder.

“There were letters exchanged between them.”

She pulled out a neat bundle of envelopes bound together with a faded silk ribbon.