“You didn’t ask whether I wanted to spend pregnancy believing the man I loved had abandoned me.”
“I know.”
“You made the decision.”
His eyes filled.
“Yes.”
“And then you planned to come back afterward and explain why I should be grateful.”
“No.”
“Wasn’t that the plan?”
He lowered his head.
And suddenly, I understood why everything felt so familiar.
Richard had decided my mother should accept what he wanted.
Grandpa had decided which parts of my childhood I was better off not knowing.
Julian had decided what pain I should endure in exchange for a future he thought was best for me.
Different intentions.
Same pattern.
I looked from father to son.
“Do you know what all of you have in common?
