Chapter 6 - The Sister Who Knew Too Much|
My first thought was Megan.
My younger sister.
The woman who had helped me raise three boys.
The person I trusted more than anyone.
I shook my head.
"No."
Adrien watched me.
"Clare—"
"No. Megan would never."
He nodded.
"I haven't accused her."
I looked away.
But the fear was already spreading.
For five years, Megan had been there.
She helped during my pregnancy.
Drove me to appointments.
Stayed awake with newborn triplets.
Worked extra shifts when Leo needed medication.
She had been the person who kept me from falling apart.
The idea that she might have been involved in my divorce felt impossible.
"Who said it?" I asked.
Adrien hesitated.
"The attorney."
"What exactly did he say?"
"He claims someone close to you gave my father information about where you were staying."
I stared.
"That could have been anyone."
"Yes."
I took a breath.
"Then don't jump to conclusions."
Adrien nodded.
"I won't."
For the first time since I'd known him, he was listening without arguing.
That mattered.
But it didn't make me feel better.
Later that afternoon, Megan arrived at the hospital with Oliver and Ethan.
The boys wore matching dinosaur sweatshirts.
Oliver carried a paper bag of cookies.
Ethan held a handmade card covered in stickers.
The moment they saw me, they ran.
"Mommy!"
I knelt.
They threw themselves into my arms.
For a few seconds, I forgot everything except how wonderful it felt to hold them.
"Where's Leo?" Oliver asked.
"He's resting."
Ethan looked worried.
"Did the doctors fix his heart?"
"They did the operation, sweetheart. Now he needs time to heal."
Oliver nodded solemnly.
Then he held up the cookies.
"We brought these for him."
I smiled.
"He'll love them when he's ready to eat."
Then Ethan looked past me.
His eyes widened.
"Mommy?"
"Yes?"
"Who's that giant man?"
I turned.
Adrien stood near the window.
He looked as though he'd forgotten how to breathe.
His gaze moved from Oliver to Ethan.
The same dark curls.
The same gray eyes.
Two little boys who looked so much like him that the resemblance was almost painful.
I stood.
"Boys, there's someone I want you to meet."
Oliver looked interested.
Ethan hid slightly behind my leg.
I took a breath.
"This is Adrien."
Oliver frowned.
"Like the name on your old wedding picture?"
My chest tightened.
I'd kept one photograph in a drawer.
The boys had found it months earlier.
I'd told them the man was someone I used to know.
Now that explanation wasn't enough.
"Yes," I whispered.
Adrien approached slowly.
He knelt so he was closer to their height.
"Hi."
Oliver stared.
Ethan looked at me.
"Is he our dad?"
I closed my eyes.
Then nodded.
"Yes."
Silence.
Oliver looked at Adrien.
Then at me.
Then back again.
"All three of us?"
Adrien laughed through tears.
"All three."
Ethan frowned.
"How come you didn't come to our house?"
Adrien swallowed.
"Because I didn't know where you were."
Oliver looked confused.
"Mommy knows where we live."
I almost laughed.
Almost cried.
Adrien smiled sadly.
"You're right."
He looked at me.
Then back at the boys.
"Some grown-ups made mistakes. I'm learning about them now."
Ethan studied him.
"Do you like dinosaurs?"
Adrien blinked.
"I do."
Oliver looked delighted.
"Which one?"
Adrien hesitated.
"Triceratops?"
Oliver gasped.
"That's Leo's favorite!"
For the first time, Adrien smiled.
A real smile.
The kind I remembered from the early years of our marriage.
Then Ethan asked:
"Can you come to our birthday?"
Adrien's face crumpled.
He looked toward me.
I swallowed.
"We'll talk about that, sweetheart."
Ethan nodded.
Then he handed Adrien a cookie.
"Here."
Adrien accepted it like it was the most precious thing he'd ever held.
"Thank you."
Megan stood near the doorway watching.
Her eyes were wet.
Later, when the boys were occupied with coloring books, I pulled her aside.
"Megan."
She turned.
"What?"
"Did you know Vittorio was involved in my divorce?"
Her expression changed.
For one second, she looked frightened.
My stomach dropped.
"Megan?"
She closed her eyes.
"Clare..."
I felt cold.
"What did you do?"
She began crying.
"Oh, God."
I stepped backward.
"No."
She shook her head.
"It's not what you think."
"Then tell me."
Her voice broke.
"Vittorio came to me before the divorce."
I stopped breathing.
"What?"
"He said Adrien wanted to end the marriage."
I stared.
"And?"
"He said you weren't safe if you stayed."
My heart raced.
"What did you do?"
Megan covered her face.
"I told him where you were staying after you left the house."
My knees weakened.
"Why?"
"Because he said he needed to deliver the settlement papers."
I stared.
Five years.
Five years of trusting Megan with everything.
And she had given Vittorio information.
She looked at me through tears.
"I thought I was helping you."
I closed my eyes.
"Did you know he was keeping Adrien away from me?"
"No!"
Her voice broke.
"I swear, Clare. I didn't know."
I wanted to believe her.
But there was another question.
"Megan, did you know he was paying someone to pretend to be my attorney?"
She went completely still.
Then whispered:
"Clare, the man who handled your divorce wasn't a stranger."
My stomach dropped.
"Who was he?"
Megan looked toward the children.
Then back at me.
Her voice trembled.
"He was Mom's second husband."
I stared.
My mother had remarried briefly after my father died.
Her second husband, Henry Walsh, disappeared from our lives when Megan and I were teenagers.
May you like
I hadn't seen him in nearly twenty years.
And now Megan was telling me he had helped destroy my marriage.
