She frowned.
“Why are you both crying?”
Ryan inhaled deeply.
“Mrs. Carter?”
I closed my eyes.
He was right.
The truth couldn’t stay buried forever.
I looked at my daughter.
“Iris…”
She sat beside me.
“You’re scaring me.”
I reached for her hand.
“The story I told you about your father…”
She waited.
“It wasn’t true.”
Her smile faded.
“What do you mean?”
I swallowed hard.
“He didn’t abandon us.”
Silence.
“He loved you.”
Her eyes widened.
“What?”
“He never knew where we were.”
I explained everything.
The pregnancy.
The threats.
The letters.
Leaving town.
Starting over.
The fear that had ruled every decision I’d made.
When I finished, Iris stared at the floor.
“I’ve hated him…”
She whispered.
“My whole life.”
“I know.”