An innocent person might have asked what the camera was.
Derek defended himself against an accusation that had not yet been made.
That mistake mattered.
He was arrested that evening.
I expected watching him being taken away to feel satisfying.
It didn’t.
Mostly, I felt tired.
Sad.
Then, several days later, Ethan asked to speak to Derek.
“No.”
I answered before he even finished asking.
The detective later explained that, if allowed at all, it could be short and supervised.
Ethan kept asking.
Not whining.
Not begging.
Quietly.
Seriously.
Eventually I asked him why.
“I want to ask why he said you’d throw Dad’s things away.”
I looked at him.
Of everything Derek had done, that was what hurt Ethan most.
The lie about me.
So I agreed.
Under police supervision, with me sitting beside him, Ethan spoke to Derek one last time.
Derek tried that warm smile again.
