“I… I don’t understand,” I stammered, my head spinning. “How? Why? You—”
“It wasn’t planned,” Brenda cut in, her eyes brimming with guilt. “It was a mistake, but it happened… long before Matthew and I even thought about having kids. And when we found out I was pregnant, George… he insisted we keep it between us. He didn’t want anyone to know, not even Matthew.”
“Why?” I almost shouted, the words escaping my mouth before I could stop them. “Why would you do this to him? To all of us?”
She covered her face with her hands, breaking down completely now. “Because George begged me,” she sobbed. “He begged me to protect him. He said Matthew would never forgive him. I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I just wanted a family… and I thought if I kept it a secret, everything would be fine. I never imagined it would go this far…”
