“But I am also a mother,” Rachel added softly.
Something in her voice softened the tension slightly.
“When I saw your file and your children, I knew you were not part of his mistakes,” she continued.
“So I made a deal.”
“What kind of deal?” she asked.
“That he disappears completely and never contacts you again,” Rachel said. “In exchange, you and your children are left alone.”
Her heart nearly stopped.
“Disappear completely?”
“Yes.”
“And he agreed to that?”
Rachel shook her head slightly.
“He did not have a choice.”
Silence filled the space again, heavy and final.
“Is he still alive?” she asked, her voice trembling.
Rachel hesitated for a moment before answering.
