Maya leaned closer, her eyes darting between the photo and my face. “Mom? What is this?” Her voice trembled as she processed the image, and I could see the color draining from her cheeks.
“I—I can explain,” I stammered, panic clawing at me. I tried to find the words, but the truth locked itself in my throat.
“It’s a picture of my mother,” Ethan interjected, his voice firm and resolute. “And that makes us family.”
My heart dropped. “Family?” I echoed, struggling to comprehend what he had just said. Ethan was my estranged son. The revelation hit harder than any blow I had ever received.
As Maya turned to me, her eyes wide with disbelief, I felt my world crumbling. How had I never connected the dots? The weight of this secret was about to unravel everything.
