Chapter 6 - The Price of Taking Sides
Megan had been firmly on Ethan's side.
Then she learned he had discovered Sarah's connection to Whitmore Industrial six months into the marriage and had said nothing for nearly two years.
“You hid that from your wife?”
They stood in Megan's kitchen after Sophie had gone to sleep.
“I didn't know what to do with it.”
“You could've told her.”
“Her father was dead.”
“Sarah wasn't.”
Ethan rubbed his face.
Megan wasn't defending Sarah.
She was naming his part.
He had spent years avoiding conflict by calling silence restraint.
In the Army, that habit had cost him professionally.
At home, it had created a marriage with a locked room inside it.
Sarah had never been given the chance to process the truth openly.
Instead, Claire had apparently found it first.
Megan crossed her arms.
“You both built this disaster out of secrets. The difference is she dragged Sophie into it.”
That difference mattered.
But so did the rest.
Two days later Sarah requested to see Sophie.
Ethan refused an unsupervised visit but offered an hour at Megan's house with him present.
Sarah arrived carrying no gifts.
That surprised him.
She sat on the floor while Sophie played with wooden blocks.
For twenty minutes, Sophie barely looked at her.
Finally Sarah said, “I'm sorry about your cake.”
Sophie kept stacking.
“You said I made Daddy's life expensive.”
Sarah went still.
Ethan looked at her.
“When did you say that?”
Sarah's eyes filled, but she did not deny it.
“Months ago. I was angry.”
Sophie placed another block carefully.
“You say stuff when Daddy's at work.”
The sentence landed harder than shouting would have.
Sarah stood abruptly.
“I can't do this with you watching me like I'm a monster.”
Ethan didn't move.
“Then don't make Sophie carry the conversation for you.”
Sarah grabbed her purse.
At the door she turned back.
“Claire is going to contact you again.”
“Why?”
“Because whatever Rebecca Sloan sent you, it's worse than you think.”
Ethan frowned.
Sarah shook her head.
“Not for Claire.”
May you like
She looked toward Sophie.
“For me.”
