“Did you fight?” Noah asked.
“Sometimes. I made choices that hurt her feelings very badly.”
“Was she mad at you?” Lily asked.
“Yes. She had good reasons to be.”
Sophie climbed onto his lap.
“Did Mommy stop loving us?”
Marcus began crying.
“No, sweetheart. Never. Mommy loved all three of you every single day.”
He told them their mother had been thinking about living in a different home, but both parents would have continued caring for them.
Lily looked at him for a long time.
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Because talking about it made me sad, and I thought keeping it quiet would make things easier. I’m sorry.”
She didn’t hug him immediately.
But she moved closer, and after a while she rested her head against his shoulder.
It’s been six months since Victoria picked up the children.
The school tightened its authorization process.
Victoria has accepted responsibility for submitting the false form.
