Afterward, Luke began sabotaging every placement. He became silent, refused outings, or said things designed to make families give up. He wanted to leave before they could reject him, and he feared Emma would believe he had chosen another family over her. He admitted that he had planned to do the same thing to me. The plan failed because he liked living with me and began to love me. After the adoption, guilt convinced him that Emma would hate him.
I told Luke he was not going anywhere. Denise later admitted that contact between the siblings had been restricted and handled badly. Luke showed me copies of the birthday and Christmas letters he had sent for years, each reminding Emma that he was still her brother. He had never received an answer.
Eventually, Emma’s adoptive parents, Rachel and David, agreed to a supervised meeting. In their living room, Rachel placed a storage box in front of Luke. It contained dozens of letters addressed to him. Emma had replied every time. Her parents had delayed sending them while she adjusted, then became ashamed to admit how much time had passed.
