In her lap rested a grocery bag containing soup, fruit, bread, and a new baby blanket.
“I know this doesn’t fix anything,” she said.
Ethan did not answer immediately.
Diane’s eyes filled with tears.
“When your father died, I became afraid of being left behind. Every time you helped me, I felt secure. Then you married Claire, and I acted as though her place in your life took something away from me.”
She looked toward the house.
“It didn’t. But I wanted to prove I still came first.”
Ethan sat on the step beside her.
“What you did could have harmed them.”
“I know.”
“You lied to me.”
“I know.”
“You made Claire feel like she had no right to ask her own husband for help.”
Diane covered her face.
“I watched the recording again. Brooke had saved a copy. Hearing myself say those things…” She lowered her hands. “I sounded like someone I didn’t recognize.”
