lives making sure we would eventually find each other.
PART 4: THE BLOODLINE THAT COULD DESTROY US
I couldn’t stop staring at the birth certificate.
Jonah’s father’s name was printed clearly beneath the word FATHER.
For several seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
“Tell me this is a lie,” I whispered.
Jonah didn’t answer.
“Jonah, please. Tell me my mother didn’t have a child with your father.”
He lowered his eyes.
“I can’t tell you that.”
I stepped away from him as though he had struck me.
All those nights
I had spent waiting for him. All those letters I had read a hundred times. All those moments when I had imagined our future together.
Had I fallen in love with a man whose family was connected to mine in a way that made our relationship impossible?
“Did you know?” I asked.
“No.”
“Did your mother know?”
“Yes.”
The word cut deeper than I expected.
I covered my mouth, trying to hold back a sob.
“Then why did she arrange our marriage? Why would she pay me to become your
