tell you about any of it.“
I stared at her in absolute disbelief, feeling like the floor was falling away beneath me.
“You knew?” I whispered. “You’ve known this entire time?“
She looked away, unable to meet my eyes, her jaw clenched.
“We thought you were trapped,” she said quietly, her voice much softer now. “We thought you’d destroyed your life for this man, and we thought this was the only way to protect you—from him and from your own stubborn loyalty.“
The room felt like it was physically closing in on me. The walls seemed to be moving. I couldn’t breathe properly.
Every sacrifice I’d made. Every night I’d worked double shifts while Michael stayed home. Every moment I’d defended him to skeptical friends. Every time I’d told our daughter how brave and strong her father was. Every single piece of our life together—built on a foundation of lies.
