None of it could return the nights I had spent worrying about money, the birthdays she had missed, or the questions I could never answer.
What it could do was end the lie.
And that mattered.
“I think I’m okay,” I said.
Chloe rested her head against my shoulder.
“I was afraid you’d be upset with me for opening the box.”
I looked at her.
“Why would I be?”
“Because you kept it hidden for so long.”
“I kept it because I wanted to protect you. But I never wanted you to spend your life protecting me from the truth.”
She was quiet for a moment.
Then she said, “I used to think you were the strongest person in the world.”
I laughed softly.
“Used to?”
She smiled.
“Now I think you’re just a man who kept showing up when we needed him.”
I felt my throat tighten.
“That sounds about right.”
