I picked the roller back up.
“So I decided to trust what I saw. Instead of asking him to tell me what I was seeing.”
Lauren was quiet for a long time.
Then she said, “I think I’ve been doing that too. With Dad. And with other people. With my boyfriend, kind of.” She made a face. “Ex-boyfriend now, actually.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. After everything with Dad, I started noticing stuff. He did the same thing. He’d say something hurtful, and then when I got upset, he’d say I was too sensitive.” She laughed a little. “That’s literally what Dad used to say to you.”
“I know.”
“I didn’t want to end up like—” She stopped herself. Her face went red. “Mom, I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay,” I said. “You can say it. You didn’t want to end up like me.”
“Not like you,” she said quickly. “Like… the way things were. For you. Before.”
