Chapter 2 - Not an Affair
Claire slapped me.
I did not stop her.
The sound echoed through the hospital room.
Then she immediately looked at Lily.
Our daughter remained asleep.
Claire lowered her voice.
“You had another woman for eight years?”
“No.”
She laughed once.
There was no humor in it.
“That is what you just said.”
“I answered the wrong question.”
“What question did you think I asked?”
“How long I’ve been involved in Ryan’s life.”
She stared.
I continued before fear could make me evasive again.
“I have not been romantically involved with Megan during our marriage.”
“When?”
“Before you.”
Claire said nothing.
“Megan and I dated for about six months. Eleven years ago.”
“And Ryan is ten.”
“Yes.”
“So you knew she was pregnant.”
“No.”
That sounded convenient.
I could see it.
“She never told me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
“You knew her for six months and she had your baby and said nothing?”
“Yes.”
Claire looked toward the hallway.
Ryan was visible through the glass panel.
Karen had one hand on his shoulder.
“How did you find out?”
“When he was almost two.”
“Eight years ago.”
“Yes.”
“When we were engaged.”
“Yes.”
There.
That was the actual betrayal.
Claire and I married seven years earlier.
I learned Ryan existed ten months before our wedding.
I said nothing.
She whispered:
“You stood beside me at our wedding knowing you already had a son.”
“Yes.”
“Did Megan ask you to hide him?”
“At first.”
“At first.”
Claire heard the qualification.
“When did that change?”
I looked away.
Wrong.
She snapped:
“Look at me.”
I did.
“When did that change, Daniel?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
“That means you do.”
“I need to explain.”
“No. I need an answer.”
I breathed.
“Years ago.”
Her eyes filled.
She looked down at the folder.
“You let me marry you without knowing.”
“Yes.”
“You let me get pregnant with Lily without knowing.”
“Yes.”
“You let me stand in this house and tell you that I was afraid something might happen to us and Lily would have no siblings.”
I remembered that conversation.
Claire had been six months pregnant.
She said she sometimes wished we had met younger because she wanted two children and did not know whether she could handle another pregnancy after Lily.
I had held her.
Said:
“Whatever our family is, it’ll be enough.”
While already having a son.
Claire pressed both hands over her mouth.
I wanted to touch her.
Did not.
Then she looked toward Ryan.
“Does he know about Lily?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Several years.”
“Does he know about me?”
“Yes.”
The sentence hurt her more than the first.
Because Ryan knew.
A child had been trusted with the truth my wife had not.
“Did Megan know about me?”
“Yes.”
“So everyone in this secret family knew I existed.”
“There was no secret family.”
Claire’s eyes sharpened.
“Do not police my vocabulary.”
Fair.
I stopped.
She asked:
“Why is he here?”
“Megan died.”
“I know that part now.”
“I told Ryan years ago that if something happened to her, he would have me.”
“You promised him this house.”
“I said he would have a home with me.”
“He said this home.”
“He’s ten.”
“He knew enough to hit Lily because he thought she was in his place.”
The sentence landed.
Claire continued:
“Did you bring him here today intending to tell me?”
“Yes.”
“Before or after he slept under our roof?”
I could not answer fast enough.
Her face changed.
“After.”
“I was going to tell you today.”
“After eight years.”
“Yes.”
Then Karen appeared at the doorway.
“Daniel.”
I looked at her.
“We need to talk about Ryan’s placement tonight.”
Claire stood.
“No.”
Karen paused.
Claire said:
“He is not coming home with us tonight.”
I looked at her.
She turned on me.
“And if you think I am cruel for saying that after he put four stitches in our daughter’s head, you can leave too.”
I did not think she was cruel.
May you like
I thought she was the only adult in the room saying something clearly.
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