“You don’t fix something like this with an apology, Matthias.” “I’ll go to therapy.

I’ll talk to the girls.

I’ll do anything you want.” “The problem isn’t that you made a mistake.” He frowned, lost.

“Then what is it?” “To condemn me,” I said, level and cold and clear, “you needed no proof at all.

To believe me, you needed a DNA test and a family confession.” His eyes filled.

“I was blind with panic—” “I had just given birth.