That tight feeling returned to Clara’s chest. She loved Mark and Elaine deeply. But this woman, Lydia, was real. Her pain was real. And she had suffered so much.
“I need to know the truth,” Clara said, her voice stronger than she expected. “Everything.”
The weeks that followed were a whirlwind. Clara began meeting Lydia, always in neutral, public spots like the local library or a quiet booth at a diner. Lydia filled in the empty spaces of her past. She told Clara about her father, who had died in an accident before she was born. She sang the lullaby, and Clara finally remembered all the words. She explained why she’d named her Star: “Because you were my only light in a very dark world.”
With every story Lydia told, something deep inside Clara resonated. It was like dormant memories were finally waking up, shaking off years of sleep.
The tension back at the Carter house was thick, but it slowly began to change, shifting from raw fear to a fragile understanding. Mark and Elaine started going to family therapy with Clara, a space where she could sort through her complex feelings. They were still terrified of losing her, but they finally accepted that the past couldn’t be ignored or wished away.
Then, one Saturday afternoon, Clara made a request that surprised everyone. “I want to invite Lydia over,” she announced. “I want her to come here. We need to talk. All of us, together.”
Clara watched Elaine’s hands, which were trembling, but her adoptive mother took a deep breath and nodded her consent.
When the day came, Lydia hovered on the doorstep, looking as if she were afraid to even breathe the air inside. Clara went to her and gently took her hand, guiding her into the living room.
The room was utterly silent. For a long, heavy moment, nobody knew what to say.
Finally, Elaine got to her feet. Her voice cracked with emotion before she could even get the words out. “I am so sorry,” she whispered, looking at Lydia. “I should have looked for you. I should have told Clara the truth from the beginning. I was just so scared. But that’s not an excuse.”
Lydia’s lower lip trembled. “I can see how much you love her. I know you do. I don’t want to take her from you. I just… I just want a chance to know her.”..
