Bettina read it first, and for just a moment her steadiness slipped.

“Katya,” she said quietly.

“You should see this.” I took the page. Biological paternity: Emlyn Cardew is excluded as the biological father of Fergus Cardew. The air went out of the room.

Fergus laughed once, a terrible disbelieving sound.

“No.

That’s not possible.” He went through the papers with shaking hands until he found a letter, faded blue ink, addressed to my father.

Emlyn — I can’t keep living this lie.