Chapter 73: Clearing Up the Misunderstanding
After she had calmed down a little, Cassidy pulled away from Zeke’s embrace. Her face was red, her eyes still wet with tears. She looked away, embarrassed that he had seen her so broken. It felt like he had seen too much of her today, too many of her weaknesses, too much of the side she tried so hard to hide. Slowly, she shifted to the side, putting a little space between them on the sofa.
Then, in a quiet voice, she said, "I’m sorry... for hiding my pregnancy from you. I’m sorry for keeping Claire a secret. I know it was wrong. I don’t have an excuse. There’s nothing I can say to defend what I did."
She looked down, regret clouding her eyes.
Zeke let out a long breath. He leaned back and stared up at the ceiling for a moment before speaking, his voice low and calm.
"You know, when I first found out Claire was my daughter, when I heard it over the phone, I was furious. I wanted to scream at you. I wanted to yell. I was so damn angry."
He paused, then looked at her.
"But then I heard you crying. And suddenly, all that anger disappeared. I couldn’t say a word. I just... broke with you."
Cassidy turned to him, but didn’t say anything. She just listened.
Zeke continued, "I kept asking myself why. Why you did it. Why you kept something that big from me. On my way to the hospital, I went through every reason I could think of... and none of it made sense."
He sighed. "But now, maybe I get it. Maybe I made it hard for you to trust me. I wasn’t a good husband. I wasn’t even a decent roommate. I was cold. Distant. And I didn’t give you a reason to believe in me."
He ran a hand over his face. "I’m sorry too, Cassidy. If I ever hurt you, if I failed you during our marriage, I truly am sorry."