TALIA
Alex was quiet throughout our meal, giving me sad glances as we ate. I could sense his anxiety—it overwhelmed me. I knew whatever he discovered was not good. I almost wondered if I even wanted to know. It was difficult to learn so much about my mother that she’d hidden from me all these years. I not only had to accept that there was so much I never knew about her but also address my grief at the same time. I couldn’t even enjoy the food that came out. I was just eating for the sake of eating.
When we stepped out into the cold air after our meal, Alex took my hand and looked down at me, giving me a heartbreaking look, only made more intense by the emotion being emitted from him. “Talia, I want to say I’m very sorry again for all of the pain and suffering my family has caused you and
