“My parents never talked about it.”
He continued reading.
A minute passed.
Then another.
Finally, he placed the letter on the table.
“My father wrote that when Mom was pregnant with my sister, he became convinced he was going to fail everyone.”
Emily frowned.
“Your sister who died before birth?”
Mark nodded.
Margaret rarely spoke about the pregnancy.
Everyone in the Carter family treated it as a room with a closed door.
“He was working two jobs,” Mark said. “There were medical bills. He said he started spending time with friends after work because being away from home made him feel like he could breathe.”
Emily looked at him.
Mark understood.
“Yeah.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“He met another woman. Nothing happened, according to him. But he started thinking about leaving Mom for her.”
Emily’s gaze moved toward the blue folder resting on the counter.
Apartment brochures.
Emails.
Madison.
