And as he talked, the ground shifted under my anger, and I understood that the mark on his daughter’s back had never once been the real reason he walked away.

The real reason was so much worse, and it had been growing, in secret, for the entire length of my pregnancy.

Chapter 10 — The Secret

Around the very beginning of my pregnancy — right around the time we were painting that soft green nursery — my brother lost his job.

At first, he told me, he had not panicked.

He was experienced.

He had contacts.