Two weeks passed. Martin confirmed that Rachel and Derek had left for Portugal. I settled into a quiet, gray routine, working on the details of the Robert Foundation by day and staring at the sea by night, trying to understand.
It was during one of those nights that Nora showed up unannounced. “Enough moping,” she declared, placing a folder on the table. “It’s time to start living again. These are key projects for the foundation. People you can help, lives you can change.”
Inside were detailed proposals: a shelter for orphaned children, a scholarship program, a vocational training center. Each one represented an opportunity to do something meaningful, to perhaps fill the void Rachel had left. That night, for the first time since the betrayal, I felt a flicker of purpose.
A year passed. That sunny April morning, I stood before the construction site of the Robert Miller Children’s Home. The foundations were laid, the walls were rising. It was real.
After an inspection tour, Nora and I had lunch. “There’s something I need to tell you,” she said, hesitating. “I received news about Rachel and Derek.”
My heart skipped a beat. “What happened?”
“They separated. Derek returned to the US. Rachel is still in Portugal, working as a receptionist at a hotel in Lisbon.”
I absorbed the information in silence. “Did she ask about me?” The words escaped before I could stop them.
Nora shook her head. “No.”
That night, my phone rang. It was an unknown number. “Mrs. Marian Miller?” a young female voice asked. “My name is Hailey Carter. I’m one of the scholars from the Robert Foundation.”
She explained that she was working on research for alternative treatments for heart disease and wanted me to visit her lab. Her words struck a chord. Robert had died from a massive heart attack. The idea of preventing that pain for other families was a powerful lure. I agreed to meet her the next day.
Lily was a young woman of about twenty-five, with dark hair and bright, intelligent eyes. Her passion for her work was contagious. She explained that they were developing an artificial heart tissue using a patient’s own stem cells, a revolutionary technique.
“Why would Nora share something so personal with you?” I finally asked, my curiosity piqued by her knowledge of my family.