He looked up.
“Because I knew you’d be furious.”
I stared at him.
“You were more afraid of me finding out about the money than you were of our daughter getting worse.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?”
He rubbed his face.
“I thought I could fix it.”
“By making Sadie lie?”
“I never told her to lie.”
“You told her not to tell me.”
He looked away.
“She was already anxious. I didn’t want to upset her.”
I felt my voice break.
“She was fifteen years old, Curtis. She was scared and in pain. You made her believe she had to protect you.”
He said nothing.
Then he made the mistake that ended whatever remained of my trust.
“Well, she’s fine now, isn’t she?”
I stared at him.
For a moment, I couldn’t believe he had said it.
Then I answered quietly.
“She almost wasn’t.”
Part 11: The Paper in His Pocket
The following morning, Sadie was awake and recovering.
