Suddenly, everything Jack had done looked different.
“That’s why he couldn’t walk away.”
Mrs. Bennett nodded.
That night, Mara came back.
I let her inside.
“Why didn’t he tell me?”
Mara looked at my stomach.
“You really need me to answer that?”
“Yes.”
“He watched you sell your jewelry.”
“I chose to.”
“You took a loan against your house.”
“I chose that too.”
“You were pregnant, raising Lucy, driving him to treatment, fighting insurers, barely sleeping.”
“So?”
“So he knew what you’d do if he told you about Ethan.”
“What?”
“Say yes. Help him. Maybe even offer to take Ethan before you stopped to ask whether you could handle it.”
“He thought I’d do that?”
“He knew you would.”
“Then why leave me the letter?”
“Because telling you Ethan existed wasn’t the same as deciding his future for you.”
I looked away.
“He should’ve told me.”
