Sixty-One

Helena (Iris' aunt) had been anticipating this day for years, but she was also dreading it.

This was the most complicated situation she had ever encountered, but she had to act before things worsened. It was time to speak out.

But first, she had to persuade her longtime friend, who was a witness to what she had done twenty-one years ago.

"Have you lost your damn mind?" Her friend Rachel snapped at her while they sat in Helena's front yard. "How do you expect us to rush up to an innocent woman and inform her that the child she has raised for 21 years is not hers?"

Helena sighed. Her sorrow was a massive, painful knot within her.

“If Iris had not grown on me and I hadn't developed such strong feelings for her, if I didn't want her to be free forever, I'd keep my mouth shut. But Adonis believes she is Alexander's daughter. The innocent girl is wasting away in his cell."

Rachel held up her hands. "I don't want to be involved in this. We are both retired now, and I rely solely on the govern