CHAPTER 17
The weeks passed slowly.
Emma recovered fully and was released from the hospital.
She went back to school, back to her friends, back to her life.
But she was different.
She was quieter than before.
She was more cautious.
She was more afraid.
I knew she would never be the same.
But I also knew that she was strong.
She was a fighter.
She would survive.
---
Mark and I started attending therapy together.
We talked about everything.
The lies.
The secrets.
The betrayal.
Mark told me about his childhood, about his father's suicide, about the guilt he had carried for decades.
He told me about the gambling problem, about the debts, about the desperation.
He told me about Lee, about the threats, about the fear.
I listened to everything he said, and I tried to understand.
But it was hard.
It was so hard.
How could I trust him again?
How could I believe anything he said?
He had lied to me for years.
He had kept secrets from me.
He had let me believe he was someone he wasn't.
I didn't know if I could ever forgive him.
But I was trying.
---
Rachel started going to therapy too.
She talked about her son, about the guilt she had carried for years, about the fear of losing him.
She talked about her secrets, her lies, her betrayal.
She talked about the smile she had given when Emma had collapsed.
"I was relieved," she had told me.
"Relieved about what?"
"Relieved that it wasn't my child. Relieved that I wasn't the one who had to suffer."
"That's terrible."
"I know. But it's the truth."
"How can you say that?"
"Because I'm being honest now. I'm trying to be honest."
I couldn't forgive her.
Not yet.
But I was trying.
---
I started going to therapy too.
I talked about my anger, my fear, my sadness.
I talked about the lies and the secrets and the betrayal.
I talked about the moment I had seen Emma collapse, the moment I had thought she was going to die.
I talked about the moment I had seen Rachel smile, the moment I had realized that someone I loved had hurt my child.
I talked about the moment I had seen Mark's face, the moment I had realized that he had been hiding secrets from me.
I talked about everything.
And I started to heal.
---
But the healing was slow.
There were good days and bad days.
There were days when I felt like we were making progress, days when I felt like we could overcome anything.
But there were also days when I felt like nothing had changed, days when I felt like we were back to square one.
I didn't know if things would ever be okay again.
But I knew that I had to keep trying.
For Emma.
May you like
For myself.
For my family.
