After a while, he took off his headphones.
“Mom?”
“Yes?”
“Did Dad not want us anymore?”
The question was so soft I almost missed it.
I looked down at Lily to make sure she was still asleep, then reached across the aisle and took Noah’s hand.
“Your dad
is making choices that hurt people,” I said. “But his choices do not decide your worth.”
Noah looked out the window again.
“He didn’t come to my science fair.”
“I know.”
“He said he had a meeting.”
“I know.”
“He was with her, wasn’t he?”
I couldn’t lie to him.
Not anymore.
“I think so.”
His mouth tightened. For a moment, he looked older than nine. That was another thing Ryan had taken from him in small pieces—the luxury of being unaware.
Noah nodded once, then whispered, “I don’t want Lily to know yet.”
My eyes filled.
