His eyes filled, but I did not rush to comfort him.

There were two babies between us whose needs had already been pushed aside often enough to protect somebody else’s feelings.

“I thought staying out of it meant I wasn’t choosing a side,” he said.

I waited.

“That was a choice.

I left you carrying it.”

It was the first explanation he gave that did not excuse anything.

He said he would provide Reed with a statement about the time, the promised visit, and what he had understood.