Julia
I knew something was wrong the moment Ayla stared at me for too long.
It wasn’t anger. It wasn’t confusion either. She looked like someone who had just lost her footing, but was still forcing herself to stand.
We had just settled into the living room. It was already late afternoon by the time we got home from the hospital. Ayla sat on the sofa, her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her shoulders tense.
“Ayla,” I said softly. “Are you feeling calmer now?”
She nodded, but I knew she wasn’t really answering me.
I had been postponing this conversation since the hospital. My chest had felt tight the entire drive home. This family secret had been hidden from her for years. Virone and I kept telling ourselves we were waiting for the right moment.
There is no right moment to tell a tr
