Ryan glanced away.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
“Yes, you did.”
He extended his hand, but she withdrew hers.
“I thought you wanted to look better,” he said.
Tears gathered in her eyes.
“I wanted you to stop being embarrassed by me.”
Ryan remained silent.
His silence revealed more than his reassurances ever had.
Emily rose.
“I can’t be with someone who laughs at me behind my back and tells me he loves me to my face.”
Ryan attempted to apologize, but she left.
Back upstairs, Emily sobbed against my shoulder.
Then she revealed something she’d never confessed.
“Mom, I thought he was going to leave me.”
I listened.
“Before I booked the surgery, I asked if he’d still love me if I never changed my face.”
“What did he say?”
“He said he loved me, but my insecurity was ruining our relationship. He wished I’d do something about it.”
She carefully wiped her cheeks.
