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“You were a minor when it happened, and you just told me some information that, as a mandated reporter, I’m obligated to report to authorities.”
“I had a feeling you would say that.”
“Well, I did warn you about that in the beginning.”
Bria nodded. “So what happens next?”
“Did it ever go further than a kiss?”
“No.”
“Then probably not much. They’ll want to talk to you, and they’ll document what you say. That will create a record, and if it happens again, they can take action. And it’s purely your decision, but I think you should tell your parents."
Bria wasn’t listening anymore. It had already happened again, she knew that for a fact. Just not to her.
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
“Sowhatarewegonna do about Carmen?” Ladonna asked. Dinner had been eaten, dishes had been washed, and the girls were off somewhere doing something or other. Only she and Marcus remained, and they had taken to the family room to watch television.
“I don’t even wanna think about it. Not right now,” Marcus said, his eyes closed.
“Okay, then. Oh, I know what I meant to ask last night. What did you think about Bobby at the meeting?”
Marcus opened his eyes and stared blankly at his wife. “What did I think about him? I didn’t think anything.”
“You didn’t think any of that was weird?”
Marcus took a deep breath. “People grieve in different ways. No sense judging him about it.”
“I wasn’t judging. Just wondering what you thought.”
He snorted. “Like you care what I think.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Marcus looked at Ladonna, and it seemed to her like he was looking through her. She felt raw and exposed, as if someone had ripped her clothes from her body in a crowded room.
“You really wanna know?” he asked, his lips curving into a sneer. And if Ladonna was being honest, she damn sure didn’t. But she nodded anyway, hoping for the best.
He sat up on the couch and turned to face her. “You aren’t here anymore. You haven’t been here for a long time.”
Ladonna frowned. “I’m here right now.”
“You’re not.”
“Is this a riddle? I’m sitting right here in front of you.”
“You aren’t…present. In this marriage.”
“Marcus—”
“And I know this because I can feel it. I felt it a long time ago. I just couldn’t figure out what it was.”
This was it. She knew it would come sooner or later. She braced herself and pretended she had no idea what he meant. “I don’t understand.”
His eyes were cold. “Yes, you do.”
She had no response, so she stared at the floor and tried to come up with the right thing to say, if there evenisa right thing. There’s no guidebook on how to conduct yourself after your spouse discovers you’re a lying infidel.
