I took a slow breath, trying to stay calm. “You can always tell Mommy anything. You’re not in trouble.”
Sophie hesitated, then whispered, “Grandma said I have a brother.”
The room suddenly felt too small. “A brother?”
“Yes,” Sophie revealed, like she was talking about a pet.
“That’s all she told you?” Sophie nodded. “She said I shouldn’t talk about it because it would make you sad.”
She looked up at me, worried now, like she’d done something wrong. I pulled her into my arms, my mind spinning. “You didn’t do anything wrong, baby. I promise.” But inside, I was falling apart. I didn’t sleep that night.
I lay awake beside Evan, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what Sophie had said. Every explanation I came up with felt worse than the last. Did my husband cheat on me? Was there a child I didn’t know about? Had Helen been hiding something this whole time? The questions circled endlessly.
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