Vanessa nodded.
“He thought he was helping me. He said he would give me a few days to prepare. I asked him not to tell you until I could talk to the specialist again.”
I closed my eyes.
My husband hadn’t been having an affair.
He hadn’t lost his job.
He had been taking leave to help my sister navigate a frightening medical situation.
But he had still lied to me.
And my sister, the person who knew me better than anyone, had believed that keeping me in the dark was the kindest thing she could do.
I opened my eyes.
“Vanessa, I love you. I would have gone to every appointment with you if you’d asked me.”
“I know.”
“Then why didn’t you trust me?”
She began to cry.
“Because I didn’t want to see the fear on your face. I knew what happened when Mom was sick. I remember how terrified you were. I thought I could handle this quietly until I knew whether there was anything to worry about.”
