stayed involved as my nanny. His parents had never met Anna, so the plan worked. Dad lied and said the woman he’d impregnated kept the baby and died in childbirth.
He got someone else to care for me for the first few months, and after working out the arrangement with Anna, she took over.
Anna stayed involved.
To everyone else, she was the babysitter.
Privately, she was still my mother.
Anna changed diapers, took me to appointments, taught me to read, and stayed with me almost every day.
“But why didn’t you just tell me?”
“Because your father made it part of the agreement.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me?”
My stomach tightened.
“He said if I told you I was your mother before he thought you were ready, he’d cut me out completely.”
“And you agreed?”
“I was terrified I’d lose you.”
She wiped her eyes.
“I thought being
