The Substitute Heiress
My name was written inside.
Alessandra.
The first page held a photograph of a little girl with uneven pigtails and a wide smile, one front tooth missing. A man crouched behind her, hands steady on her shoulders. His face was open, and kind, that was my father.
I turned the page.
The girl was older now, arms wrapped around a woman in a wide-brimmed hat. They stood near the water, hair blown loose by the wind. The woman’s laughter was caught mid-moment, her mouth open, eyes bright, and that was my mother.