“What the hell did you overhear?” she whispers.
My head shakes quickly. “I’ve never told anyone about it. It’s just too …”
“Okay,” she replies softly, realizing the struggle I’m having telling her. “So, what made her end it now?”
“She found out I hadn’t told my partners about Eli yet. Everything spiraled from there.” My head falls into my hands.
“Why haven’t you told them about Eli?”
“Because I’m a coward. A piece of shit who’s worried about his image, about being the best, rather than what’s important.”
“Let’s not do any name-calling. Be kind to yourself. Can I ask something?”
I lift my head and look over at her.
“Are you happy at your job?”
“I …” My voice trails off as I have a flashback of all of my years at the firm. “I don’t know. There’s been some good moments. It felt good to make partner. To feel like a success.”
“That’s not what I asked. Are youhappythere? Do you enjoy who you work with? Do you love the work that you do?”
“Who likes the people they work with? I mean, it’s not exactly what I wanted to do when I was younger, but I’m an adult. Goals change.”
She nods her head, seemingly not satisfied with the answer, but she lets it go. “So, Jessie got mad at you for not telling your company yet and … ended it?”
I scrub a hand down my face. “She continued on about honesty—about this secret I’m holding on to. She decided she couldn’t deal with half-truths. She’s right. She deserves more. She deserves the world, and I can’t give it to her.”
“So, she knows there’s a secret?” Eva asks with a hitch to her voice.
“Yeah, I told her before we started anything this time around. I was bound and determined to keep my distance, but I wasn’t strong enough.”
“Do you love her?”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “More than I thought was possible.”
“Then you need to tell her,” Eva says matter-of-factly. “There’s no secret that’s worth losing the love of your life. Whatever it is, I’m sure it can be figured out. You’re probably just making a bigger deal about it than it actually is because you’re so protective.”
My eyes meet hers, and I see the confidence she feels with her advice. She thinks she knows what’s right. I’m about to show her what I’ve hidden from the world for far too long.
“Jerry isn’t Jessie’s biological father.”
Her lips part, but no sound follows—only the stunned silence of a truth she never imagined. My legs bounce up and down with nervous energy. I thought saying it out loud one day would feel like a release, but it’s still a secret from the one who would truly be affected by it.
“W-w-w-what? How? T-t-t-that can’t be …” Eva stutters through her words. “Where did you hear that?”
“I overheard her parents at your graduation party, fighting in the garage. Jerry wanted to tell Jessie the truth. Meredith was furious. She said it would devastate Jessie and ruin their image if Jessie ever told anyone else.”
“I don’t know … that’s … that would destroy Jessie.”
“Yeah, it would.”
“Her dad is her best friend. He’s the only one in her family she feels connected to. If she knew he wasn’t actually her …” Eva doesn’t finish her sentence.
We both know how hard this would be for Jessie. I don’t know if she would ever truly recover from news like this. How could I take away the one person in her life who keeps her grounded?
Every part of me wants to tell her, to free us both from this burden. But love isn’t just about honesty; it’s about sacrifice. If telling her means destroying her, is silence the greater mercy?
“She would be destroyed,” I finish for her.
