“You may as well tell him, Tracy. He’ll find out soon enough.”
She glared at him, wondering when he’d become such an asshole. “Dad and I are separating.”
“What? Why?”
“Because it’s what I need right now.”
“Are you getting divorced?”
“We’re taking a break.”
“Joey’s parents took a break, and then they got divorced.”
“I don’t want you to worry about that right now. We need you focused on getting some rest and recovering from your injuries.”
“Mom’s right, buddy. That’s all you need to be thinking about.”
Ethan’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want you to get divorced because of me.”
“Oh, baby, it wouldn’t be because of you,” Tracy said. “I swear.” She took him by the arm and escorted him back upstairs to his room. As she tucked him in, she said, “Please don’t worry about me and Dad. We just need a break from each other. That’s all it is.”
“Will you tell me if it’s more than that?”
“Yeah, sweetie. I will.” She ran her fingers through his thick hair and tried to bring some order to it, beyond thankful to have him back where he belonged, safe and mostly sound.
“What if people think I hurt her?”
“The police will say who did it when they announce the charges against the Mayfields.”
“Do you think Brecken will be charged, too?”
“He’ll be charged for the role he played in you and Tomas being kidnapped. I don’t know if he was involved in what happened to Luna.”
“I don’t think he wanted to hurt her. His dad told him what to do.”
“You’ll have to tell Sam everything you know at some point.”
“I don’t know much.”
“Still, you might have information that’ll make a difference in getting justice for Luna.”
“I want to help if I can.”
“And you’ll get the chance. For now, you need to rest.” She stood to leave him, even though she really didn’t want to.
“Mom?”
She turned back to him. “Yes, honey?”
“Will it always hurt this bad?”
His devastation only added to her fury, as unreasonable as it might seem to Mike. “No, honey. Eventually, the agony will fade, but you’ll always carry the ache for someone who was denied the chance to have a long and happy life.”
“Will I always feel responsible?”
“You’re not responsible. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Why does it feel like I did?”
