Daniel looked at me.
“Grandpa would’ve liked that.”
“He would’ve pretended he said it first.”
Daniel laughed.
A real laugh.
I went back to Dad’s grave once after everything settled.
I brought flowers and sat on the same bench where I’d shown Daniel the video.
“I should’ve listened,” I said.
Of course, Dad didn’t answer.
Then I realized I had misunderstood his warning for years.
He hadn’t been right because Mark eventually disappointed me.
Everybody disappoints someone.
Dad had been right about the second part.
Don’t give away so much of yourself that you can’t stand when someone disappoints you.
For years, I thought being a good wife meant protecting the marriage.
Now I think sometimes protecting yourself means accepting when someone else has already broken it.
People later called what Daniel and I did “brutal.”
We saved evidence.
Talked to lawyers.
