Part Two — Chapter Fifteen — October 2008

In October 2008, Valerie meets Sister Margaret Jean at their longtime luncheonette, repeating her hope of someday finding the child she abandoned. Sister Margaret reflects on years of secretly using ill-gotten funds to finance Valerie’s education and career, proud that Valerie has become Manhattan’s district attorney yet pained by Valerie’s isolation and lingering grief.

The chapter recounts how Valerie severed ties with her family after being expelled for her pregnancy, and how the burden of abandonment left her lonely despite success. Their meetings have persisted for decades, with Valerie always scanning the world for her daughter.

During this lunch, Valerie shows Sister Margaret a news photo of a young woman wanted for embezzlement who looks strikingly like her, down to unusual eyes. Sister Margaret acknowledges the uncanny resemblance but, thinking of the man with the shiny shoes who took the baby, recoils from the possibility that the child could be involved in crime.

Driven by guilt and fear of the truth, Sister Margaret tells Valerie she doesn’t think the woman is her daughter and insists there is no way to know. Valerie concedes, puts the phone away, and the moment passes, while Sister Margaret’s guilt presses heavier than ever.