“Yes,” I whispered.
His face changed.
“What?”
I looked at the floor.
“Something happened while you were away.”
The silence that followed was unbearable.
I told him.
Not every private conversation, not every confused emotion, but the truth about the boundary Jake and I had crossed.
I told him that I had allowed loneliness and attraction to cloud my judgment.
I told him I was responsible for my choices.
And I told him that I was sorry.
When I finished, Tom stood completely still.
For a moment, I thought he hadn’t understood.
Then he laughed once, a short, disbelieving sound.
“My nephew?”
I closed my eyes.
“Tom—”
“My nephew, Sarah?”
“I know how terrible it is.”
He turned away, pressing his hands against his head.
“You let him stay in our house. I trusted you to look after him.”
“I know.”
“And this happened while I was working to build a future for us?”
