Chapter 8 - EMMA'S QUESTIONEmma noticed the engagement ring was gone.
“Where's Ethan?”
Natalie had rehearsed answers.
None sounded right.
Finally:
“He and Mommy decided not to get married.”
“Why?”
“Because sometimes adults learn things about each other that change their plans.”
Emma considered this.
“Did he do something bad?”
Natalie resisted turning her daughter into a confidante.
“He made choices that meant I couldn't trust him enough to marry him.”
Emma nodded.
Then asked the question Natalie feared.
“Was it because I'm sick?”
Natalie's heart broke.
“No.”
Immediate.
Absolute.
“Never.”
Emma looked relieved.
Then:
“Grandma said my medicine costs too much.”
Natalie froze.
“When?”
“At Thanksgiving.”
Vivian had said it privately.
Emma had carried that sentence for months.
That ended Natalie's uncertainty about boundaries.
Vivian would not have unsupervised access to Emma again.
Money could be restored.
A child's belief that her existence was financially burdensome was harder to repair.
May you like
Natalie chose her daughter.
Without apology.
