She flinched.
“I didn’t think he would actually do it.”
“You told him to fix the dates later.”
“I know.”
“Then you knew it was wrong.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“I was scared.”
“So was I.”
She looked up.
I continued before she could interrupt.
“I was scared when Dad hit me. I was scared when I realized someone had filed a deed using my name. I was scared every time Owen asked if we were going to lose our home.”
My voice shook, but I didn’t look away.
“You were scared of losing a mansion. I was scared of losing the only home my son had left after his father and I divorced.”
Melanie covered her mouth.
“I never thought about it that way.”
“That’s the problem, Melanie. You never thought about me at all.”
She began crying harder.
For a moment, I remembered the little girl who used to crawl into my bed during thunderstorms. I remembered sharing my birthday cake with her when our parents bought her a present on my birthday and forgot mine.
