direct payment to me beyond what the trust allows.”
“Understood.”
“And contact?”
Priya looked at me.
“That remains your decision.”
I thought about David’s letter.
One letter.
Nothing else yet.
“That stays the same.”
Good.
Mine.
The test confirmed what everyone already knew.
David was Mia’s father.
The escrow funded the trust.
After legal fees and tax adjustments, the amount was significant.
Not life-changing in the dramatic sense.
Life-stabilizing.
There is a difference.
Enough to support education.
Medical care.
Future housing.
Not enough that Mia would never need judgment.
I liked that.
David began paying formal child support through the court system.
No hand-delivered checks.
No emotional money.
Predictable.
Documented.
Boring.
Exactly what I wanted.
He wrote Mia one letter.
I read it.
Priya read it.
Then I placed it in a box for later.
It said:
Hi Mia,
You don’t know me yet.
My name is David.
I am
