Unspoken Truths

• chapter 3 •

The next few days passed in a blur for Karen. Every moment felt heavy with the weight of betrayal, her world shattered by Drew's infidelity. She moved through the house like a ghost, avoiding conversation, eye contact, and the reality that Zara was coming. The anniversary celebration, which had once been a beacon of their enduring love, now felt like a cruel mockery. Forty years of marriage, and here they were—on the edge of unraveling. Drew's affair had brought them to this moment, with Zara's arrival forcing them to face the consequences head-on.

Karen stood in front of the bathroom mirror, her face pale and worn, her eyes swollen from days of crying. She steadied herself, gripping the edge of the sink, but it was no use—nothing could prepare her for what was coming. Zara, Drew's daughter, would be here in less than an hour. The lawyers had swiftly arranged everything, leaving Karen no time to catch her breath, let alone process the pain.

She forced herself to walk out of the bathroom and down the stairs, each step feeling heavier than the last. As she descended, she saw Drew sitting on the couch, his face buried in his hands, looking every bit as broken as she felt. He glanced up as she approached, searching her face for any trace of forgiveness. But Karen couldn't offer him that—at least not yet.

"Karen," Drew started, his voice rough and filled with regret, "I know I've said this a thousand times, but I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."

Karen's heart twisted, but her face remained stone cold. "There's nothing left to say, Drew," she replied, her voice sharp. "We have to deal with this, and Zara's coming whether we're ready or not."

Drew's shoulders slumped, but Karen could see him bracing himself for her next words. "Karen, please, I never wanted this to happen. I never meant for it to go this far."

She looked away, fighting back the tears that had become all too familiar. "But it *did* happen, didn't it?" Her voice wavered with anger. "You didn't want this, but here we are, living in the aftermath of your choices. My life, our life—ruined."

Drew stood up, his face filled with desperation. "I know I messed up—I know! But you have to understand, I never stopped loving you."

Karen laughed bitterly, crossing her arms. "Love? Do you even know what love means, Drew? You love me so much that you slept with another woman—had a child with her."

"That was a mistake! It was years ago! I was weak, I—"

"You were weak?!" Karen interrupted, her voice rising as she stepped closer. "Don't you dare use that excuse. You chose this. You chose to break our marriage, and now you expect me to just forget about it because you say you're sorry?"

Drew flinched at her words, guilt etched deep into his face. "I don't expect you to forget, Karen, but I want to make it right. I want us to move forward."

Karen's eyes blazed. "Move forward? With her in our house? How can we move forward when every day I'll be reminded of what you did?" She paced back and forth, unable to keep still. "And what about Zara? You think this will be easy for her? She's walking into a mess, and I'm supposed to just—what?—pretend everything's fine for her sake? For your sake?"

Drew ran a hand through the little hair he had, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. "Karen, Zara didn't ask for any of this either. She's just a kid. You think I'm not torn up about how much I've hurt you, how much this is hurting all of us? But we can't take it out on her."

Karen stopped in her tracks, glaring at him. "This isn't about taking it out on her. It's about you Drew. About how your selfishness brought us here. You're the one who created this situation, and now you expect me to clean it up?"

Before Drew could respond, the doorbell rang, shattering the heated silence between them. Karen's heart leapt into her throat. Zara. She was here.

Drew took a step toward her, reaching out a hand in a rare gesture of unity. "Karen, we'll get through this, I promise."

But Karen shrugged his hand off, her voice cold as ice. "Don't make promises you can't keep."

She marched to the door, flinging it open to reveal a woman in her late fifties standing beside a slender teenage girl. Zara's hazel eyes locked onto Karen's, a mix of defiance and fear swimming in them.

"Mrs. Sheard, I'm Barbara," the older woman said, her voice low and full of sympathy. "I've been taking care of Zara since her mother passed. I know this is a lot, but I'm grateful you're opening your home to her."

Karen forced a tight smile. "Of course. Please, come in."

Barbara placed a hand on Zara's shoulder and gave her a gentle push forward. Zara stood stiffly, her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes darting from Karen to Drew, who had moved behind her. The tension was thick, and Karen could feel the resentment in the air as Zara glanced at her father.

"Hi, Zara," Drew said softly, stepping toward her. "I'm—well, I'm your father."

Zara's face hardened, her gaze narrowing. "Yeah, I know who you are," she spat, her voice dripping with contempt. "The man who was never there."

Karen flinched at the bitterness in Zara's tone, the words cutting deep into the fragile peace between them. She felt a strange mixture of pity and anger—pity for the girl, who had lost so much, and anger at the man who had made this whole mess possible.

"Zara, honey," Barbara said softly, trying to soothe the tension, "I know this is hard, but your father wants to make things right."

Zara whipped around to glare at Barbara, her voice trembling with rage. "Make things right? Nothing about this is right! My mom is dead, and now I'm stuck with people I don't even know. How is that making anything better?"

Karen felt a lump form in her throat as she stepped forward, her voice quieter, calmer. "Zara, I know this is hard, and I can't pretend to understand what you're feeling. But we want to help. We want to make this work."

Zara's eyes darted to Karen, her expression sharp and mistrustful. "Why do you care?" she shot back, her voice cold. "I'm just the mistake he made, right?"

Karen inhaled sharply at the word, her heart breaking a little more. "You're not a mistake," she said softly, her voice strained. "You're a person who's been through a lot, and you deserve love and care, just like anyone else. We're not perfect, but we're here. We're trying."

Zara looked down at the floor, her fingers twisting the hem of her hoodie, her tough exterior beginning to crack. She whispered, "I don't want to be here."

"I know," Karen replied gently. "And you don't have to like it here, but we're not going to abandon you."

Zara shrugged, her face crumpling for a moment before she turned away, hiding her emotions. "Whatever."

Barbara gave Zara a final squeeze on the shoulder, wiping away tears as she said her goodbyes. Once Barbara left, Karen and Drew stood in silence, watching Zara as she shuffled toward the stairs, her head down.

Karen could barely breathe, the tension between her and Drew still simmering beneath the surface.

As Zara disappeared upstairs, Drew looked at Karen, his voice low and pleading. "Karen, we have to work together on this."

But Karen couldn't look at him. "Don't," she said quietly, her voice thick with exhaustion. "Just don't."

Without another word, she walked away, leaving Drew standing alone in the living room, his world falling apart piece by piece.