“I never stopped.”
I cried harder than I had the day my first husband died, because grief was one thing. This was years of love stolen by a lie.
Behind us, Marcus finally spoke.
“I did what I thought was best.”
Andrew let go of me.
Slowly, we both turned to face him.
“What was best?” I asked.
My voice was barely above a whisper.
Marcus straightened his shoulders.
“I was protecting our family.”
“Our family?” I stared at him. “You destroyed it.”
“He was tearing us apart.”
Andrew gave a short, bitter laugh.
“I was 18.”
“You refused to listen.”
“I refused to become someone I wasn’t.”
Marcus pointed at him. “You expected everyone to accept your choices.”
“No.” Andrew shook his head. “I expected my home to be safe.”
Silence settled over the room.
Marcus looked at me as though he still expected me to defend him.
“Liza, you’re only hearing one side.”
I held up the phone.
“These are your words.”
“I was angry.”
“For six years?”
He frowned.
“I never meant for it to go that far.”
I felt something inside me break.
“No.”
He blinked.
“No?”
“You don’t get to rewrite this.”
I took a slow breath, trying to steady myself.
“Every birthday, I cried for my son.”
Marcus looked away.
“Every Christmas, I wrapped presents he never opened.”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“I searched every face in every crowd because I hoped I’d see him again.”
His jaw tightened.
“You watched me suffer.”
He didn’t answer.
“You watched me blame myself.”
Still nothing.
“And every single time I cried, you told me to let him go.”
Andrew remained quiet beside me. He didn’t need to say anything; the truth was already standing between us.
Marcus finally sighed.
“I thought it would get easier.”
My head snapped toward him.
“What?”
“For you.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“I thought once enough time passed, you’d stop dwelling on him.”
“Dwelling on him?”
My voice rose.
“He’s my son.”
“He made his choice.”
“No.” I stepped closer until we were almost face-to-face. “You made it for him.”
Marcus’s expression hardened.
“I gave him a push.”
“You lied to an 18-year-old who already believed he was a burden.”
“I gave him an opportunity to start over.”
“You manipulated a grieving child.”
“He was legally an adult.”
I stepped closer.
“He was still my child.”
The words echoed through the room.
Marcus looked at Andrew.
“You’ve done well for yourself.”
Andrew didn’t respond.
“You came back stronger. In a way, maybe leaving was the best thing that ever happened to you.”
I stared at my husband in disbelief.
Even now.
Even after everything.
He couldn’t admit what he’d done.
Andrew spoke again.
“The note I left behind, when I said ‘Please don’t look for me,’ I meant for a few days.”
I looked up at him.
“I was hurt. I needed space.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I was sitting at the bus station when his messages started coming.”
My chest tightened.
“I read them over and over.”
He looked at Marcus.
“I kept thinking, ‘Maybe he’s right.’”
Marcus folded his arms but said nothing.
