My anger softened, but it didn’t disappear.
“For five years?”
“I kept hoping she’d change.”
I thought about all the evenings he’d worked late.
The holidays he’d sacrificed.
The countless times he’d remained silent while my mother belittled him.
“You carried this all by yourself?”
He nodded.
For years, I’d believed my mother’s improving behavior meant she’d finally accepted my husband.
Now I understood that Ethan had been protecting a peace built on a terrible secret.
“You should have trusted me with the truth,” I whispered.
“I know,” he answered. “I’m sorry.”
I reached for his hand again.
Then I turned toward the phone.
“Mom, I need you to listen carefully.”
“Olivia, sweetheart—”
“No.”
My voice trembled.
“Dad wasn’t a failure because we lost our house. And Ethan wasn’t worthless because he worked as a mechanic.”
“I never said he was worthless!”
