He said nothing.
“Introduce me to the family. If they’re struggling, maybe we can help together.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“It’s complicated.”
I felt tears gathering in my eyes.
“Tony, you’ve spent years telling me we weren’t financially ready for a baby, but you’ve secretly been supporting someone else’s child. Don’t you think I deserve to know why?”
He stared at the table.
I waited.
Finally, I said:
“Dakota gave you until Friday. What happens then?”
“Please don’t involve her.”
“She involved herself when she sent you that note.”
Tony stood.
“Jennifer, I can’t do this right now.”
He walked into his office and closed the door.
I sat alone at the table, staring at the unexplained payments.
I thought I was prepared for whatever secret he might be keeping.
I wasn’t.
—
The next morning, I wrote Dakota a note.
I explained that I’d discovered payments to a pediatric clinic and that I wanted to understand what was happening.
