⸻
“I didn’t tell her to skip school,” Gordon said. “I called her myself, three weeks ago, and told her about the diagnosis. I asked her not to come, actually, until we figured out a proper way to arrange it with you.”
⸻
I turned to Sienna, who was still holding her father’s hand, tears now sliding freely down her face.
“Why didn’t you just ask me?” I said. “You know I would never have kept you from seeing him, not for something like this.”
⸻
“I didn’t know that for sure,” Sienna said. “You two barely talk. Every time his name comes up, you get this look on your face. I didn’t want to ask and have you say no, or make it into this whole complicated conversation with lawyers and custody schedules while he’s actually dying.”
⸻
“So you decided lying to me for a week was the better option,” I said.
