I was shocked. Mom had me when she was just 17 and never really felt ready for motherhood. When I was 12, she met someone else in Argentina and left to be with him. My dad was so devastated, he couldn’t stay either—so he left, leaving me with his mom.

And the police search? It was all a story they told me to make me believe she was missing. My whole life had been based on a lie. Now, I don’t know how to move forward.