What had he said about me?
But Chloe was seven.
She had just survived a severe allergic reaction.
She had already been carrying a secret that never should have belonged to her.
So I stopped.
I brushed her damp hair away from her forehead.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I didn’t want to lie.”
“I know.”
“Daddy said it wasn’t really lying. He said we were protecting your feelings.”
I closed my eyes for a moment.
Ryan hadn’t merely hidden something from me.
He had taught our child that lying to her mother could be an act of kindness.
I looked directly at Chloe.
“You never have to protect me like that.”
She listened carefully.
“Grown-up secrets belong to grown-ups. Not children.”
I squeezed her hand.
“If any adult ever asks you to keep something from me, you can always tell me. You will never be in trouble for telling the truth.”
“Even if it’s Daddy?”
“Especially if it’s Daddy.”
Sandra had stopped writing.
She looked at me and gave one quiet nod.
At the hospital, Chloe was taken into a treatment room.
I stayed beside her while the nurses monitored her breathing and started an IV.
Ryan arrived about ten minutes later.
He stopped near the curtain.
“Is she okay?”
“For now.”
I looked at him.
“Who is Dana?”
His eyes immediately shifted toward Chloe.
“Can we focus on her right now?”
“I am focusing on her. That’s why I’m asking.”
“Maeve…”
“Who is Dana?”
He stared at the floor.
“She’s a friend.”
“A friend you visit every Sunday?”
He didn’t answer.
Then his phone buzzed.
Ryan checked the screen.
His entire expression changed.
He walked into the hallway.
I waited several seconds before following.
He stood near the exit doors with his back to me, whispering into the phone.
