She swallowed.
“Eventually, I stopped asking questions in front of them. I started asking other people. That’s when things got worse.”
I thought of all the stories Grayson had told me about her.
The difficult sister.
The bitter sister.
The sister who couldn’t let go.
“Why didn’t you tell me everything at the engagement party?” I asked.
She gave me a sad smile.
“Because I didn’t know you. And because I had already learned what happened when I gave people too much information. They carried it straight back to my mother.”
I lowered my eyes.
“Like I did.”
“Yes.”
The word landed between us.
She didn’t soften it. She didn’t rescue me from it.
I was grateful.
For the first time, I understood that apologizing wasn’t about saying the right words. It was about accepting that someone else had every right to remember what you did.
“I can’t undo that,” I said. “But I won’t share anything else without your permission, except what I’m legally required to provide.”
