The first letter was from Gerald to Nadia, written only weeks after she left for college. He told her I wanted her gone permanently and that visiting would “only create problems” in our marriage. Beneath it were emails Nadia had sent asking whether she could come home for Christmas, birthdays, even one weekend after she became sick. I had never seen any of them. Gerald had answered privately, telling her I wanted no relationship with her. Then came the shipping records. My birthday gifts had been intercepted and returned before Nadia ever received them.
Nadia had discovered the truth by accident. While helping one of Gerald’s relatives clear a storage room, she found several unopened packages bearing my handwriting. After opening them, she realized every card said the opposite of what her father had told her. She started gathering old emails, letters, and anything else that showed how carefully Gerald had kept us apart.
I looked at him across the living room.
“Why would you do this?”
Gerald finally admitted he had been afraid Nadia would force him to choose between his daughter and his new marriage. Instead of risking that confrontation, he created one that never existed.
That evening, I called Nadia.
She answered after two rings.
Neither of us knew what to say first.
So I simply whispered, “I never stopped wanting you here.”
