“Then he told me you’d finally be happy if I disappeared. I thought…” He swallowed. “I thought I was giving you your life back. I wanted to call you.”
He looked down.
“I typed dozens of messages over the years.”
His voice shook.
“I deleted every one before I could press send. Every time I picked up my phone, I heard his words telling me you’d be happier without me.”
My knees gave out.
Before I hit the floor, Andrew caught me.
For the first time in years, my son held me. I buried my face against his shoulder and sobbed.
“You didn’t leave because of me.”
“I never wanted to. I thought you stopped loving me.”
He hugged me tighter.
“I never stopped.”
I cried harder than I had the day my first husband died, because grief was one thing. This was years of love stolen by a lie.
Behind us, Marcus finally spoke.
“I did what I thought was best.”
Andrew let go of me.
Slowly, we both turned to face him.
“What was best?” I asked.
My voice was barely above a whisper.
Marcus straightened his shoulders.
“I was protecting our family.”
“Our family?” I stared at him. “You destroyed it.”
“He was tearing us apart.”
Andrew gave a short, bitter laugh.
“I was 18.”
“You refused to listen.”
“I refused to become someone I wasn’t.”
Marcus pointed at him. “You expected everyone to accept your choices.”
“No.” Andrew shook his head. “I expected my home to be safe.”
Silence settled over the room.
Marcus looked at me as though he still expected me to defend him.
“Liza, you’re only hearing one side.”
I held up the phone.
“These are your words.”
“I was angry.”
“For six years?”
He frowned.
“I never meant for it to go that far.”
I felt something inside me break.
“No.”
He blinked.
“No?”
“You don’t get to rewrite this.”
I took a slow breath, trying to steady myself.
“Every birthday, I cried for my son.”
Marcus looked away.
“Every Christmas, I wrapped presents he never opened.”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“I searched every face in every crowd because I hoped I’d see him again.”
His jaw tightened.
“You watched me suffer.”
He didn’t answer.
“You watched me blame myself.”
Still nothing.
“And every single time I cried, you told me to let him go.”
Andrew remained quiet beside me. He didn’t need to say anything; the truth was already standing between us.
Marcus finally sighed.
“I thought it would get easier.”
My head snapped toward him.
“What?”
