But I looked at his face and saw a man whose family was disappearing in front of him.
So I said, “Okay.”
He nodded once and left.
That afternoon, Karen called me.
“Daniel spoke to me.”
“I know.”
“He asked me to end things before they begin.”
My throat tightened.
“What did you tell him?”
“That I love him, and I love you, and I will not lie to either of you.”
I closed my eyes.
“Karen, I don’t want to destroy your relationship with your son.”
“Neither do I.”
“Maybe we should step back.”
Silence.
Then she said, “Maybe we should.”
We agreed to give Daniel space.
No secret meetings.
No romantic messages.
No pretending the situation was simple.
For the next three months, we barely spoke.
And I learned that doing the right thing could hurt almost as much as doing the wrong thing.
Karen Mercer Stops Asking Permission
While I stayed away, Karen built her bookstore.
