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They say everyone who looks into their family history will find a secret sooner or later. Most families are wonderfully mundane, their secrets inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. Such secrets can have a long lasting effect on the people involved, but rarely has the world been changed by an extramarital child or a gambling addiction.

Anna never cared much for family, hers being as dysfunctional as it was. She cared even less about the reasons why her mother had been as cold as she was, or why her father hadn't been able to stay away from the bottle. They had probably loved her, but love doesn't matter when it isn't shown and can't be felt.

Anna rarely thought about her parents, hadn't talked to them in over a year, not seen them for much longer than that. Still, the letter she held in her hands now brought back a wave of unwanted memories, flashes of a childhood she tried to pretend never existed. She stared at the words on the thick, expensive paper. Reading, but not really taking in the message.


Dear Ms. Martens,

I regret to inform you that your parents, Sophia and Alex Martens, passed away 6 months ago. I wish I could have informed you sooner, but you are a difficult woman to find.

We have a lot to discuss, I hope you'll be willing to meet with me.
If you are, please call my office to set up an appointment as soon as possible.

Michael.


The rest of the paper was empty, except for a phone number in the bottom right corner, written in blue ink. No official letterhead, nothing to indicate the letter was legitimate or to show where it had come from. Anna rubbed her temples, feeling a headache come on. She didnt know what to think, what to feel, or if she should even believe the claims this Michael person was making. For all she knew, it could be some cruel prank, or a way for her parents to lure her back in to their lives. Only one way to find out.