“Then why did you leave?”
I looked at Marianne.
She gave no indication that she would help me.
So I told the truth.
“I cared too much about what my family thought. I wanted wealth and status. I was afraid that staying with your mother would make my life more difficult. I convinced myself that leaving was the practical choice.”
“Was it?” Sophie asked.
“No.”
“Did you think about us?”
“I knew there might be a child. I chose not to think about what that meant.”
Chloe’s pen moved across the page.
“That’s horrible.”
“Yes,” I said. “It was.”
“Did you ever look for us?”
“No.”
The word felt like swallowing glass.
Sophie closed her notebook.
“Then why should we believe you won’t leave again?”
“You shouldn’t believe it just because I say so.”
She studied me.
“Then what do you expect us to do?”
“Nothing. I have to earn whatever trust you decide I’m worth. If you never want a relationship with me, I will respect that.”
