Yesterday, this house had been loud. Today, it was quiet. Val was already waiting. She sat on the sofa, still in a soft robe, one hand resting over her stomach.
They all knew. Val was going to need all the support she could get. Vee walked forward slowly.
"Hey, sis…"
"It's Ricardo, isn't it?"
Vee raised a brow, her throat tightening. "How did…"
"It doesn't take a genius to put it all together."
No one said anything. Val stared down at her stomach, her fingers moving slowly over the curve.
"He's been dead all these while?" she asked.
Vee swallowed.
Val looked up at her, eyes shining but not yet spilling. "He didn't leave me?"
For months, Ricardo's absence had been explained away as cowardice. Cold feet. Shame. Fear. A selfishness everyone had been angry enough to accept.
"No," Vee said softly. "He didn't leave you."
Val breathed in slowly. "Why?"
"We don't know."
