Confused, I patiently explained the family connections, even pointing to the framed photos we’d set up on the mantel. But she wasn’t listening. Her eyes were wide, her questions growing more frantic. “But how did you know?” She left without even touching the cake I’d so carefully chosen. That night, she blocked us on every social media platform. We chalked it up to stress, some personal issue we weren’t privy to. We were wrong.