His fingers trembled.
“Mom…”
He swallowed.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
I looked at Vanessa.
Then at my son.
“Because she wanted me to believe you wouldn’t listen.”
His face changed.
Those words hurt him more than anything else.
Because they were true.
Vanessa had not just cut my hair.
She had tried to convince me that my own son had abandoned me.
Daniel turned back toward his fiancée.
“Is that true?”
Vanessa immediately shook her head.
“Of course not. She’s twisting everything.”
Then she placed a hand on her stomach.
The same fake gesture she had used before.
“Daniel, you know I’m pregnant. I’m under a lot of stress. Your mother has never accepted me.”
The garden went quiet again.
But this time, Daniel didn’t look confused.
He looked disappointed.
“Pregnant?”
Vanessa smiled.
“Yes.”
I watched my son’s eyes move toward me.
He knew.
He knew I had never accused anyone without proof.
“Mom says you’re not,” he said quietly.
Vanessa’s smile vanished.
“What?”
