Chapter 2 - The Architect of Deception
"But the lies, Sarah!" I paced in front of the bench, the golden sunlight now feeling oppressive. "The missed messages, the coldness, the way you just walked out the door without a backward glance! You broke me!"
"I had to break you," she whispered. "If I had shown you any softness, you would have stayed. You would have insisted on staying."
My mother finally found her voice. She stepped forward, her face etched with pity and pain. "Sarah, you were alone. Who helped you? You were pregnant with triplets—oh god, where is the third one?"
Sarah’s face went white. She clutched the lavender and cream blankets tighter. "The third baby... he didn't make it. He passed away two weeks after they were born."
The world seemed to lose all color. I sank onto the grass at the foot of the bench, my head in my hands. The weight of her sacrifice was staggering. She had navigated a life-threatening illness, the loss of a child, and the birth of twins, all while carrying the burden of being the woman who "abandoned" her husband.
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"Who knew?" I asked, my voice muffled by my palms. "You didn't do this alone. Who helped you?"
Sarah hesitated, her gaze shifting toward the park entrance. "I didn't have anyone, Liam. Not at first. But then... then I met someone. Someone who helped me hide."
