I pushed up from the chair so quickly it scraped across the floor.
“Nine years?”
“Diane, please.”
“Frank knew for nine years?”
Claire covered her face.
“Yes.”
My anger changed direction so quickly it made me dizzy.
The warning carved inside the ring was still in my purse.
DON’T BELIEVE HER.
But Frank had been lying to me too.
I set his phone on the table.
“Tell me everything.”
Claire shook her head.
“I can’t do this right now.”
“Your father is sitting in an urn, Claire. He left me a warning inside his wedding ring. We are absolutely doing this now.”
Her head jerked up.
“What?”
I took the ring from my purse and held it out.
She stared at the engraving.
“Oh, Dad.”
“You knew?”
“Not what he wrote.”
“Then start explaining.”
Claire sat across from me.
“Eli’s father left before he was born. Dad and I weren’t speaking then.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was ashamed.”
“Of having a child?”
“Of everything.”
She wiped at her face.
“When Dad and I finally started talking again, Eli was three. Dad came to visit. I asked him not to tell anyone yet.”
“Anyone?”
“You.”
That answer hurt more than I expected.
“Why me?”
“Because you had spent years trying to make me feel like part of your family, and I kept pushing you away. Then suddenly I had an entire child I’d hidden from you.”
“So you just kept hiding him.”
“At first, I thought I would tell you soon.”
“And then?”
“Every year made the lie worse.”
I gave a bitter laugh.
“That’s usually what lies do.”
Claire nodded.
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