It was a small, fragile step forward, but it was a step toward real healing built on the truth instead of convenient lies.

Gretchen had tried to reach out too, mailing a cold, self-serving letter that was all about how misunderstood she had felt during our showdown in the kitchen.

I had thrown that first letter straight into the recycling bin and told her in a short text that until she owned up to her cruelty toward Austin, she wasn’t welcome in our lives at all.

Six weeks later a second letter came, written in shaky, humble handwriting, in which Gretchen finally admitted she had treated Austin like a second-class member of the family because he was adopted and asked to be forgiven.