“I know how this must sound.”
“Do you?”
He lowered his eyes.
“No. I suppose I don't.”
I looked at him.
“Did you ever ask why he didn't tell me?”
Julian nodded.
“Many times.”
“What did he say?”
“That he was ashamed.”
I stared.
Julian continued.
“He said he'd made a terrible decision when he was young, and every year he waited made it harder to tell you.”
I swallowed.
“Did your mother love him?”
Julian hesitated.
“Not in the way you're asking.”
“What does that mean?”
“My mother didn't talk much about those years. But she never described Thomas as her great love.”
He looked toward the photograph.
“She said he was the man who made sure we were safe.”
Safe.
There was that word again.
Protection.
Secrets.
Silence.
I was beginning to hate all three.
I took a deep breath.
“Julian, did Thomas have an affair with your mother?”
