“He told me you wanted the baby, Helen,” Rebecca whispered. “He said it was the only way Caroline would have a stable home.”

“But he made me promise never to contact you. He made me sign papers saying I would stay away forever.”

“Why didn’t you write to me sooner?” Caroline asked, her voice small.

Rebecca held up the yellowed envelope.

“Because of this,” she said.

“My grandfather was a very wealthy man, but he was incredibly strict and traditional.”

“He disapproved of Thomas from the very beginning, and he knew Thomas was greedy.”

“Before my grandfather died, he put together a private legal document for Caroline.”

“He sealed it in this envelope and told me to give it to her when the time was right, but Thomas found out about its existence.”

“Thomas tried to force me to hand it over, but my grandfather had set it up so only Caroline could legally claim what was inside.”

“That is why Thomas has been hunting me down,” Rebecca said, her tears flowing freely now. “He knows what is in here, and he wanted to force me to sign a waiver before you ever saw it.”