“No,” he said finally. “They seem mean.”
“They are,” I said. “But they are also your family. If you ever want to know them, I will not stop you.”
“We already have a family,” Sophia said firmly. “We have you.”
I felt my eyes sting, but I blinked the tears back.
“You are right,” I said. “We do.”
My phone rang again. This time I answered.
It was my lawyer.
“Nora, what the hell did you do?” he said. “I have had six calls from Sterling family lawyers in the last hour. They are threatening to sue for defamation, for emotional distress, for—”
“Let them sue,” I said calmly. “I have genetic evidence, birth certificates, and five years of documentation proving I raised these children alone while Julian never once tried to find me. If they want to make this a legal battle, I will bury them.”
There was a pause.
“You planned this,” he said.
“Of course I planned this,” I said. “I have been planning this for five years.”
“What do you want me to do?”