“Laney,” I call as I step through the entryway into the kitchen. She’s sitting at the breakfast bar, a half-eaten box of takeout pizza in front of her.
“Hey,” she says, barely looking up. “Iwasgoing to wait for you, but when it got past eight, I gave up and ordered in. You get stuck at work?”
I set my keys on the counter and grab a beer from the fridge. “No. I went to see Ashlyn.”
Her expression darkens instantly. “That woman from the other day?” she asks, her voice sharp.
“Yes.”
She lets out a laugh, but there’s no humor. “I saywoman, but maybegirlis more accurate. How old is she, Dad? She can’t be much older than me.”
“Her age doesn’t matter.”
She tilts her head, her eyes narrowing. “So, young then?”
I exhale. “She’s twenty-five.”
She scoffs, shaking her head. “You’rea whole meolder than her.” Pushing the pizza box away, she crosses her arms. “And Mom? You’re just... giving up on her?”
“Laney–”
“She’s going to wake up, Dad. I know she is.”
I swallow hard. “It’s been six years, Laney.”
Her voice breaks. “So, youhavegiven up.”
“It’s not like that, sweetheart.”
She searches my face, hurt and anger written all over hers. “Itsoundslike it.”
I let out a slow breath, my chest tightening. “There’s something I should have told you a long time ago. I didn’t because I wanted to protect you. But you’re an adult now... and it’s time you knew the truth.”
She frowns. “Okay.”
Nerves churn in my stomach as I meet her gaze. There’s no way to sugarcoat this. I just have to rip off the Band-Aid and tell her.
“Your mom and I… we were in love for a long time,” I start, running a hand through my hair. “But when you were around eleven, things started to change. We’d been together since high school, and we realized we were growing apart instead of growing together. We tried to make it work, but the skiing trip to Vermont was supposed to be ourmake-or-break moment.”
“The trip where Mom had her accident?” she asks quietly.
I nod. “Yeah.”
“What happened?”
I exhale slowly. “We made the difficult decision to separate. We both agreed that things weren’t working, and that splitting up would be the best thing for everyone. More than anything, we wanted to be good parents to you. That was our priority.”
She studies me carefully. “And you both wanted that?”
I nod. “We planned to come home and tell you together.”
Laney stands abruptly, pacing across the kitchen. After a moment, she stops and crosses her arms.
“How do I know you’re not just saying this now because of Ashlyn? Mom isn’t here to back up your story.”
Her words hit me hard. “Laney, this isn’t a story. When have Ieverlied to you?”
She lets out a bitter laugh. “Oh, I don’t know. How about the lastsix years?”
