Laura broke down then. “I thought you were leaving me,” she said. Shame followed relief. Brett reached for her hand timidly. Fear, not betrayal, had driven them apart. Saying it aloud released the tension, allowing grief, forgiveness, and vulnerability to finally surface between them.
He admitted his mistake too. “The mistake was mine. I should have told you everything. I see that now,” he said. They spoke honestly, slowly. Promises, grounded in truth, felt different now. They agreed there would be no more secrets. Whatever came next, even the worst, they would face it together.