I never thought I’d see the day when my daughter Penelope looked at me with such disappointment. For sixteen years, my husband Sam has been my constant, and our small family was my everything. But after my mom passed last year, I discovered long-kept secrets, including the revelation that I had an older brother, Adam, whom my mother had given up for adoption at 17.

When Penelope stopped talking to me, I was devastated, unsure of what had happened. Then I realized she had witnessed a meeting between me and Adam, whom I had met in secret. She was upset, believing I’d been hiding something from the family. I tried to explain, but she refused to talk.