Before I could answer, Noah stepped slightly closer to me.
That tiny movement was all it took.
I stopped caring what Michael thought.
“Registration closes in ten minutes,” I said.
“Good luck, Evan.”
Then I turned.
“Come on, boys.”
We had almost reached the next table when Nathan spoke.
His voice was low.
“Mom.”
I kept walking.
“That was him, wasn’t it?”
My chest tightened.
“Yes.”
“Our dad?”
“Yes.”
Neither boy spoke for several seconds.
Then Noah looked back.
Michael was still watching us.
“Yes,” I repeated quietly.
“That was your father.”
I expected anger.
Questions.
Maybe even tears.
Instead, Noah and Nathan exchanged a look.
Not surprise.
Something else.
Something I didn’t understand.
At the time, I thought they were simply shocked.
I was wrong.
2
Michael hadn’t always been cruel.
That is the hardest thing to explain about people who eventually break your heart.
They rarely begin as monsters.
