“I wanted to contact you,” Ethan said, “but I knew Dad would find out. He would destroy the evidence and convince you that I was lying. I stayed away because I needed proof before coming back.”
The year of silence suddenly looked different. Ethan had not forgotten me. He had been trying to uncover the truth while protecting himself from the father who had already taken his home away.
“Hannah gave birth two days ago,” he continued. “She’s still in the hospital and isn’t doing well. After learning what her mother had hidden, she didn’t trust Diane with the baby. She asked me to take Helen somewhere safe.”
“You came here to protect us,” I said.
Ethan nodded, tears filling his eyes.
“I couldn’t let him keep lying to you.”
Before I could respond, I heard tires moving across the wet driveway.
Richard was home.
I kept Helen against my chest as the front door opened.
