I wanted to turn away.
Both truths lived in me at once.
He seemed to understand. He did not reach for me.
“I don’t expect forgiveness today,” he said. “I only wanted to stand where you could see me and tell you I never chose to stop loving you.”
The sentence entered me gently.
Not enough to repair the lost years. Enough to let me step forward.
I stopped an arm’s length away.
“Were you at the hospital that night?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I received a call from a nurse. She had found my number in your emergency contacts, though Jason had tried to remove it. She said you were hurt and asking for me.”
My memory flickered.
A hospital ceiling.
A woman’s voice telling me to stay awake.
My own mouth forming one word.
Dad.
Thomas continued. “When I arrived, Jason and Evelyn were there. Jason told security I was unstable. Evelyn said there was a family legal matter and I should leave before I made things worse for you.”
