She went quiet.
Then she said, “I don’t want him dragged into this.”
“He already is.”
“Sylvia, please.”
“He called me from your phone because he was scared I’d found something he wasn’t supposed to lose. He’s nine. Whatever is happening, he’s carrying more of it than either of you realizes.”
“Adam and I are living apart.”
I gripped the counter.
“For how long?”
“A few months. The renovations are real. They just weren’t the whole reason the kids stayed with you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to. Adam asked me not to.”
“Why?”
“Because he thought you’d tell him to come back home to me. We’ve tried…”
“If there’s still a marriage to save, I’d want him to try.”
Tara went quiet.
“That’s exactly what he was afraid you’d say.”
“I’m his mother.”
