For several seconds, he covered his face with his hands.
Then I heard him whisper,
“There’s something I should have told you years ago.”
I stared at him.
“What are you talking about?”
He didn’t respond.
“Daniel.”
Finally, his hands dropped.
“I was afraid.”
“Afraid of what?”
His eyes returned to Emily.
“I convinced myself I could leave it in the past.”
My heartbeat began accelerating.
“Leave what in the past?”
He swallowed hard.
“But now that I’ve seen her…”
His voice cracked.
“I can’t hide it anymore.”
A cold feeling settled in my stomach.
“What have you been keeping from me?”
Daniel opened his mouth.
Before he could answer, the hospital-room door suddenly opened.
I turned toward it.
Someone was standing in the doorway.
I didn’t immediately understand why that mattered.
Then I looked at Daniel.
Every bit of color disappeared from his face.
