“Have you told him?” Pat asked. “Told him?” Anna snapped. “Of course not!” “Anna!” Pat called out firmly. “I'm really getting angry at you now. I can’t believe you’re keeping such a secret from your husband.” “I can’t tell him,” Anna whispered into the receiver. “Secrets are not good, Anna; they destroy homes, marriages, families. You have to come clean. You need to confess to him.” “This is my secret, Pat, and I would like it to remain so until—” “Until when?” Pat shouted in frustration. “Until I say so,” Anna snapped back. Anna could hear Pat inhale deeply. “Everyone has a secret, Pat, especially in marriage. Some things are better kept private,” she said. “What?” Pat gasped. “I can’t believe you’re saying this. Secrets are bad, Anna. This is really troubling.” She spoke gently to her. “You cannot hide this from him; it’s not right.”

He swallowed hard. “You need to know that this is a tough decision for me, but I have to do what’s best for my family,” he said quietly, watching her take another mouthful of salad. “What we had was a mistake—a terrible mistake,” he continued slowly. “If we keep this up, we’re going to hurt the people we care about…” He paused, searching her face for a reaction, but it remained expressionless. “I’ve thought about this for days, and I want you to understand that this decision hasn’t been easy for me,” he said, running his hands through his hair. “I don’t want to lose my family… please, Amanda…” He took a moment to gather his thoughts. “We can’t continue like this; we have to stop…”

As he walked past Sophia’s room, he noticed the door was slightly open, so he peeked inside. She was facing the wall. He wanted to say something but wasn’t sure what she had heard or seen. He stood by the door for several seconds before walking back to his own room. Part of him wanted to check on Amanda, but another part just wanted to be alone. All he wanted now was to reflect on his life. He wasn’t sure where to begin, but he realized that his betrayal was closer to home than he had imagined. What was going through his little girl’s head? What had she heard? What did she understand? These thoughts plagued his mind.

For the first time in her life, Rachael had no idea what to say to her friend. She had never imagined herself in such a situation before, and in that moment, she thought of what a little girl might do if she needed help—run to her mother. “Maybe my mother could help,” Rachael uttered, but immediately regretted saying it. The thought of involving her mother wouldn’t make things any easier for them. “Your mother!” Aamilah’s jaw clenched in disgust. “What do you think your mother would do?” she snapped, then remembered that she already knew the answer. Aamilah covered her mouth to stifle the screams that were about to erupt. “Oh God…” she cried out. “This is not happening to me—what have I done to myself?” She sank to the floor in tears.