I held her until she fell asleep.
But inside, I was falling apart.
Three days later, my husband came home carrying a black leather bag.
He looked exhausted.
“Where’s Emma?” he asked.
“Upstairs.”
“Good. We need to talk.”
He led me into the living room and closed the door.
Then he opened the bag.
Inside were thick bundles of hundred-dollar bills.
He placed them on the table.
“There’s fifty thousand dollars here.”
I stared at the money.
“What is this?”
He took a deep breath.
“Take this money and never tell anyone what I did to our daughter.”
For several seconds, I couldn’t breathe.
“What… what did you do?”
He lowered his head.
“I made a decision without telling you. Emma agreed, but I know you’ll be furious when you find out.”
My entire body went cold.
“WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY CHILD?”
“Please, let me explain.”
