Page 22 of Hidden Vows (Love in Ashford Falls #3)

Do you remember the night about six weeks after we got married?

That’s a stupid question. I have no doubt that night will forever be ingrained in your brain. I came home plastered and way later than was acceptable.

There’s so much I wish I could change about that night. First and foremost, I wish I told you the truth about what happened.

I couldn’t be the reason my dad lost the bar. He would’ve told me not to worry about him, but I couldn’t do it. It was all he had left from my grandfather.

And I couldn’t be the reason you’d never see your mother again, especially when your time with her was already limited.

Your father knew exactly what he was doing when he talked to me that night. He knew exactly what buttons to push.

He knew you and my dad were my greatest weaknesses. You two were the most important people in my life—you still are.

I couldn’t stand by and watch you both suffer. Though, I guess…in the end, I did.

I’ll never forgive myself for that night, even if it didn’t happen the way I let you think it did.