I shook my head, hardly able to look at him. “Brian, she’s seven. She’s just a child. That was our truth to tell her when the time was right, not yours.”
“I know. I’ve been punishing myself for it every day since. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but I just… I needed you to know. I’m sorry.”
I left the meeting feeling hollow, burdened with a sadness I couldn’t shake. Brian wasn’t evil. He was broken, and his pain had shattered the innocent trust my daughter had in the world. But it didn’t change the fact that we had to pick up the pieces.
Since that day, he hasn’t reached out again. Emily is doing better, but there’s still a part of her that hesitates, that questions.
