“Wait until everyone sees what your daughter really does.”

Mom looked at the phone for a long time.

“He doesn’t know what you do,” she said.

“And he doesn’t need to,” I answered.

That was the moment I realized secrecy had never been the problem.

The problem was someone who believed he owned the right to demand explanations from everyone while giving none himself.

PART 15: The Thing in the Garage

Ruth had stopped apologizing, but she still startled at unexpected knocks.