“I believe you.”
His eyes lifted quickly.
“You do?”
“Yes.”
Relief appeared briefly on his face.
“But that is not the same as being innocent,” I continued.
The relief disappeared.
He nodded.
“I know.”
I waited.
“I should have checked on you,” he said. “I should have made sure you were sitting with family. I should have noticed that you weren’t inside.”
“Yes.”
“I let Vanessa handle everything because whenever I questioned her, it became an argument. She said weddings were for brides. She said I was making everything more difficult. So I stopped asking.”
“That was easier for you.”
His jaw tightened, but he offered no defense.
“Yes.”
That honesty mattered more than another excuse.
Daniel rubbed his hands together.
“After you left, I asked her why she hated you so much.”
The blunt words surprised me.
“What did she say?”
“At first, she denied hating you. Then she said you made her feel judged.”
