"How long." My voice stayed flat. "You and Lucille. How long has it been going on?"
Julian went silent. He held my gaze for a long time before the words scraped out of him.
"Three and a half years."
I thought about how Julian used to say he'd come back to stay for a few days every year.
But eventually, he never had the time.
It turned out it wasn't that he didn't have the time.
He'd simply spent all of it on someone else.
A dull ache spread through my chest. Then Julian started explaining again.
"I wanted to end it, but Lucille kept clinging to me. She kept telling me about her family, how they were poor, how her parents favored sons over daughters. I just felt sorry for her..."
His voice grew weaker with every word, until even he didn't have the nerve to finish the sentence.
"Lucille."
"Is pregnant."
It was like a clap of thunder detonating right beside my ear.
I clenched my fists until my knuckles ached. Even though I'd already learned the full truth before coming here, hearing it spoken aloud still sent ice flooding through every vein.
While I'd been dreaming about our wedding, counting down the days—