He looked at the picture, then back at me.
Then he took a slow breath. “Please. Let me tell you the truth.”
I folded my arms, though they trembled.
He glanced down at the grave before speaking again.
“Daniel wasn’t my father.”
I let out a bitter laugh.
“It’s true,” he insisted. “He and my mom were friends in college. Her name is Donna.”
“Please. Let me tell you the truth.”
My grip tightened on the photo.
Adam swallowed. “Daniel was my court-appointed guardian.”
Guardian. The word hit me harder than I expected.
“What’re you talking about?” I asked.
“My mom became an addict about six years ago. She doesn’t have any family left, and my real father abandoned us. So when she realized she needed help, she reached out to Daniel, the only person she trusted. He started helping us. At first, it was just rides to appointments. Then groceries and school stuff.”
“What’re you talking about?”
I felt my anger wobble, just slightly.
“He came to see me on Saturdays. Mom is still in and out of rehab. Daniel paid for my tutoring, soccer fees, and school trips. When my mom realized she couldn’t give me the kind of support I needed, she got the court to appoint Daniel as my legal guardian, with his consent, of course.”
I stared at him. “He never told me.”
“He started helping us.”
“I know,” Adam said quietly. “My mom made him promise not to tell anyone about her struggles. She doesn’t want people looking at her differently. Daniel respected that. He said it wasn’t his story to share.”
The wind swept across the cemetery, lifting the edge of my coat.
“He told me if anything ever happened to him,” Adam added carefully, “that you’d take care of me. Not like adoption or anything, unless you want to. Just to ensure I can finish school. He said he’d already set up an education fund. It’s in your name as co-trustee.”
“Daniel respected that.”
My head spun. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“Daniel planned for this. He made me meet his lawyer last year, Mr. Collins. He said if he died, Mr. Collins would call and tell me when the funeral was. I was supposed to explain everything to you then.”
“He was healthy,” I whispered. “We weren’t expecting…”
“He said heart problems ran in his family,” Adam said gently. “He didn’t feel anything was wrong, but wanted to be prepared. He told me, ‘Margaret’s the strongest person I know. If I can’t be there, she’ll do what’s right.’“
The words pierced straight through me.
“Daniel planned for this.”
continue to the next page.”
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