Noah frowned.
“What kind?”
Adrian looked at me.
“The kind that can hurt people for a very long time.”
Ethan studied him.
“Are you sorry?”
Adrian nodded.
“Every day.”
Ethan thought about it.
Then he picked up a potato.
“Okay.”
Adrian looked surprised.
“Okay?”
“You said you’re sorry.”
“That doesn’t fix it.”
“I know.”
The boy shrugged.
“But it’s Christmas.”
I almost cried.
Page 6
Later that night, Vanessa found me alone in the kitchen.
She closed the door behind her.
“I owe you an apology.”
I looked at her.
“For what?”
“For the invitation.”
I waited.
She took a breath.
“When Adrian told me about you, he made it sound very different.”
“I imagined he did.”
“He said you claimed he was the father.”
“I didn’t claim anything. He was my husband.”
She nodded.
“I know.”
“What changed?”
She looked down.
“I saw the boys.”
Silence.
Then she whispered:
“Adrian lied to me.”
I didn’t respond.
“He told me the pregnancy was complicated.”
I looked at her.
“He told me there was never proof.”
“That isn’t true.”
“I know.”
She sat down.
“When I saw them, I knew immediately.”
“You knew?”
She smiled sadly.
“I’m a woman, not an idiot.”
I almost smiled.
Vanessa continued.
“I also need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“Adrian didn’t invite you here just because of me.”
“I figured.”
“He wanted to see the boys.”
I looked at her.
“He was afraid to ask.”
That surprised me.
“Afraid?”
“He thought you would refuse.”
“I might have.”
“I know.”
She paused.
“He has been looking at old photographs.”
“Of me?”
“Of all of you.”
My heart tightened.
“Why?”
“Because he knows he missed everything.”
She stood.
“He saw a photograph of Ethan’s first day of school.”
I frowned.
“How did he get that?”
“I sent it.”
“You?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Vanessa smiled faintly.
“Because I thought he needed to see what he had thrown away.”
Then she walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she stopped.
“For what it’s worth…”
She looked at me.
“I don’t hate you.”
