ARIEL
Of the many betrayals she had known in her life, none cut quite as deep as this. She had given her husband her trust, her life, and now he had lied to her.
"You lied to me," she said again, shaking the words loose from quivering lips. Alan tried to explain, his words spilling out in a desperate attempt to make things right.
"I didn't mean to lie, Ariel. You never asked me if it was a lie. I'm sorry, Ariel. I should have told you sooner. Please forgive me."
But Ariel was beyond consolation. Slowly, she backed off from him—her eyes brimmed with tears, hurt. She turned and ran to the second house in the compound, a visitor's house that stood empty most of the time. She had forgotten that Alan could now walk, and he followed her rapidly. "Ariel, please, just hear me out," he pleade
