Then the phone rang. The number was unfamiliar, but the voice on the other end sent her stomach plummeting: the DNA testing service. They explained that Emily’s biological parents had been notified of a match. They wanted permission to reach out. Clara gripped the receiver so hard her knuckles blanched. She bought herself time, murmuring that she needed to think.
That night, she decided she would meet the parents first, without Emily. If she could gauge their intentions, maybe she could protect her daughter a little longer. She gave the service her address, agreeing to a meeting while Emily was away at school. She told herself she was being cautious, careful. A shield between Emily and the past.