Chapter 55: "A Revelation and a Choice"

The room seemed to narrow and come down on Taylor as she folded the letter in her shaking hands. The letters on the paper ran together, and she choked back a sob while trying to breathe. That which she had just read appeared to her unbelievable; yet there it was, staring her in the face and calling into question everything she had ever learned. Alex did not speak and just stared at her with a combination of concern and terror. He had seen her reaction and sensed what weighed her down before he knew what it was that he had told her. The young woman who had delivered the letter was standing at the door, shifting from one foot to the other in an obvious discomfort that pervaded the room’s silence. “What does it say?” Alex finally asked, his voice barely a whisper, as if he were afraid of the answer he was about to receive. Taylor felt her knees go, and she had to restrain herself before she could give the letter into his hands. As if talking to herself, she said softly, ‘Read it.’ S