Something in his expression frightened me.

It wasn’t embarrassment.

It wasn’t nervousness.

It was recognition.

“No, Linda.”

His voice fell almost to a whisper.

“I don’t want to see him. I have to go right now.”

“Why?”

He didn’t answer.

He looked at me, then at Jason.

And then he said something that changed the entire evening.

“Ask your son what he did to Emily.”

Before I could ask anything else, Richard pulled away and headed toward his car.

Seconds later, he was gone.

I stood in the backyard staring toward the driveway.

Jason had not moved.

I turned to him.

“Who is Emily?”

Jason looked down.

After several seconds of silence, he finally said:

“She’s my ex-girlfriend.”

My stomach tightened.

“Why does Richard know her?”

Jason swallowed.

“Because she’s his daughter.”

The Woman Neither of Them Had Told Me About

Suddenly, pieces began falling into place.

But they still didn’t make sense.

Jason had dated Emily for nearly three years.

They had been serious.

Very serious.

They had saved thousands toward buying a house. They had talked about marriage, their future, and the life they wanted to build.

Then everything fell apart.

Jason admitted he had cheated on her.