Auntie Jane leaned back on her elbows and looked skyward as well. “Yes. And she is a wonderful child, loving and kind. Smart as a whip. Generous. Everything a mother could desire.”

Sarah rolled on her side to face her. “I thought she hadn’t made it. I was told she died.”

“I realized that today, coming back from taking Lilly upstairs. I overheard you talking with my husband about your desire for children, and the world as I knew it came crashing down around my shoulders. You see, my dear.” Sarah felt Auntie Jane’s weathered hand cover hers. “Phillip had told me you didn’t want to be a mother, refused to see your own baby or hold her. He told me that Kevin was abusive and that you hated everything to do with him, including your baby. You needed us to bring money, were running away. Refused to take refuge with us, because we were the first place that Kevin would look. That you were terrified at what he would do to us. And Phillip told me you’d instructed him to put Lilly up for adoption.”

“I never would have left her behind. I wanted her so very much.”

“I know that now. When we arrived at the hospital, Phillip insisted that I not mention the baby to you. He said you’d been through a terrible ordeal, and talking about it would only distress you further. When I entered your hospital room, I fully intended to disregard his orders, but when I saw your face.” She shook her head, lost in the past. “Sarah, my heart broke to see you that way. There were so many bruises and such a weary bleakness in your eyes. I figured the beating, the premature birth of your baby on the heels of the strain of your parents’ untimely deaths had been too much for you. When we left the hospital, we took the baby with us. In hindsight, I’m not sure how he managed that.”

“He had legal and medical power of attorney,” Sarah said. She could feel the raindrops cleansing the past. “Must have paid someone off, or convinced them I was mentally unsound.”

“But why? Why would Phillip do such a thing?”

Sarah laughed, the sound bright as a bird in flight, feeling oddly happier and lighter than she had in years. “Money. Pure and simple. My parents left a huge estate behind. When I disappeared, that was a huge boon for Phillip because Kevin had no access or control over the estate. He just received a monthly stipend. If I was dead and had no heirs—that’s where getting rid of Lilly came in—for Phillip it would be even better. That would give your husband unfettered access to do what he liked with the funds from the estate for the rest of his life, with very few checks and balances.”