Three months into writing the memoir, I hit my first major obstacle: how to write about Marcus without either demonizing him or minimizing the pain he'd caused.

"I can't figure out how to tell the truth without making him look irredeemable," I said to Hope during one of our afternoon writing sessions.

"What does Lily's letter say? There must be one about Marcus."

I flipped through the organized letters until I found one marked "About forgiveness and Marcus."

*Dearest ...