The Two Sisters’ Stories

The Last Thing He Told Me

This flow explores how Olivia Michaels’ remembered place in Bailey’s life gives way to the revelation that Kate Smith was her mother.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

Olivia in the Photographs Olivia in the Photographs from "The Last Thing He Told Me". A Mother Remembered From Afar Owen’s Account Hannah knows Olivia as Owen’s first wife, a teacher who died in a car accident.

Olivia in the Photographs from "The Last Thing He Told Me". A Mother Remembered From Afar Owen’s Account Hannah knows Olivia as Owen’s first wife, a teacher who died in a car accident.

A Mother Remembered From Afar Owen’s Account Hannah knows Olivia as Owen’s first wife, a teacher who died in a car accident. The few photographs Owen keeps show a woman whose features seem to connect her to Bailey. A Familiar Explanation Bailey has few memories of her mother, and Owen’s account supplies the story she can carry. Hannah accepts the explanation because it fits the photographs and the family history she has been given.

A Different Face A Different Face from "The Last Thing He Told Me". Kate Smith Appears Resemblance in the Archive A yearbook photograph shows Kate Smith, a woman whose dark hair and fierce eyes resemble Bailey.

A Different Face from "The Last Thing He Told Me". Kate Smith Appears Resemblance in the Archive A yearbook photograph shows Kate Smith, a woman whose dark hair and fierce eyes resemble Bailey.

Kate Smith Appears Resemblance in the Archive A yearbook photograph shows Kate Smith, a woman whose dark hair and fierce eyes resemble Bailey. The image contradicts the red-haired mother in Owen’s account. A New Family Question Hannah and Bailey do not know whether Kate is Bailey’s mother, but they can no longer treat the resemblance as incidental. The photograph makes the mystery of Bailey’s childhood inseparable from the question of Owen’s identity.

Charlie Names Kristin Charlie Names Kristin from "The Last Thing He Told Me". The Old Name Surfaces Recognition From Charlie Charlie sees Bailey and calls her Kristin.

Charlie Names Kristin from "The Last Thing He Told Me". The Old Name Surfaces Recognition From Charlie Charlie sees Bailey and calls her Kristin.

The Old Name Surfaces Recognition From Charlie Charlie sees Bailey and calls her Kristin. Bailey does not accept the name at first, but the sound awakens a memory of being called that in early childhood. A Sister’s Daughter Charlie’s recognition confirms that Bailey belongs to Kate’s family. Hannah now understands that Owen’s concealment was intended to separate Bailey from relatives as well as from a criminal past.

The Grandfather’s Photographs

A Family Preserved in Silver Nicholas’s Private Room Nicholas keeps enlarged photographs of young Bailey and Kate in his office. The images reveal years of love and grief that Hannah had not known existed. Affection Alongside Harm The photographs do not make Nicholas’s criminal history harmless, but they complicate the idea that his family ties are merely strategic. Hannah sees a grandfather mourning the child he has not been allowed to know.

The Family She May Meet The Family She May Meet from "The Last Thing He Told Me". A Cautious Opening Cousins and Grandfather Hannah tells Bailey that Nicholas and Charlie may visit, along with her cousins, if Bailey wants.

The Family She May Meet from "The Last Thing He Told Me". A Cautious Opening Cousins and Grandfather Hannah tells Bailey that Nicholas and Charlie may visit, along with her cousins, if Bailey wants.

A Cautious Opening Cousins and Grandfather Hannah tells Bailey that Nicholas and Charlie may visit, along with her cousins, if Bailey wants. She does not require a decision while Bailey is still absorbing the loss of her father’s presence. Bailey Sets the Pace The possibility of knowing Kate’s family becomes an invitation rather than an obligation. Hannah promises to remain present, letting Bailey choose how much of this newly uncovered family she can accept.

Before Hannah learns Owen’s past

During the yearbook search in Austin

At The Never Dry that evening

During Hannah’s visit to The Sanctuary

On the flight home from Austin