Kayla did not sleep that night.<\/p>\n
Neither did I.<\/p>\n
At two in the morning, I heard footsteps in the hallway and found her sitting on the stairs with her phone glowing in the darkness.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou should sleep.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSo should you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI was checking on you.\u201d<\/p>\n
She gave me a tired smile.<\/p>\n
\u201cI'm okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're clearly not.\u201d<\/p>\n
She moved over, making room for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cI keep thinking about that message.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Lauren say?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe hasn't answered?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said she would talk tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
I sat beside her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen wait until tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI hate waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
She rested her head against the wall.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if Eric lied?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may have.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat if he didn't?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe may not have.\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou're very helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying not to tell you what to think.\u201d<\/p>\n
She smiled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s because you\u2019re my sister.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cExactly.\u201d<\/p>\n
The following afternoon, Lauren agreed to meet Kayla.<\/p>\n
Kayla asked me to come with her.<\/p>\n
Andrew offered to drive us.<\/p>\n
We declined.<\/p>\n
This was something Kayla needed to face herself.<\/p>\n
The caf\u00e9 was nearly empty when we arrived.<\/p>\n
Lauren was already sitting near the window.<\/p>\n
She stood when she saw Kayla.<\/p>\n
For a moment, neither woman spoke.<\/p>\n
Then Lauren said, \u201cYou look exactly like the pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat pictures?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEric's.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer immediately changed the temperature of the conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou knew him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren sat down.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe worked together for three years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla remained standing.<\/p>\n
\u201cDid you have an affair?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
The answer came so quickly that Kayla seemed caught off guard.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why contact me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he wasn't honest about why he left you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did he lie about?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren folded her hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told you he had been unhappy for two years.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla waited.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren looked down.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was also sick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla's expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had been dealing with severe panic attacks.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla stared at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe never told me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren continued carefully.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe had them at work. Sometimes he'd have to sit in his car until he could breathe normally again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla's eyes filled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe didn't want you to.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDid he see a doctor?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWas it serious?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot in the way you're thinking. But it frightened him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla looked away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why did he tell me he didn't want our life?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he believed leaving was easier than admitting he wasn't okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
The words landed heavily.<\/p>\n
Kayla's hands trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo he left me because he was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPartly?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe also felt that your relationship had become something neither of you knew how to change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla closed her eyes.<\/p>\n
That sounded painfully close to what Eric had told her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren looked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe told me you were planning everything around him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla stiffened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou were talking about marriage. Children. Buying a house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he couldn't breathe when he thought about the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla swallowed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought he wanted those things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe probably did once.\u201d<\/p>\n
That answer hurt more than an accusation would have.<\/p>\n
Kayla sat back.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy didn't he tell me?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI asked him that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said he was ashamed.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf needing help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla stared at her coffee.<\/p>\n
The room seemed suddenly too quiet.<\/p>\n
After a long pause, Lauren said, \u201cThere's something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEric asked me not to contact you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he wanted you to hate him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would he want that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause he thought it would help you move on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat worked beautifully.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lauren lowered her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
When we returned home, Kayla looked exhausted.<\/p>\n
She sat on the couch while I made tea.<\/p>\n
Andrew came in from work.<\/p>\n
He took one look at her and knew something had happened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you find out?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla told him.<\/p>\n
He listened without interrupting.<\/p>\n
When she finished, he said, \u201cThat explains some things.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDoes it?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
He sat across from her.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou spent weeks trying to prove that Eric left because men can't be trusted.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd now?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNow you have a different possibility.\u201d<\/p>\n
She nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat he was scared.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe.\u201d<\/p>\n
She frowned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don't believe him?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't know him.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fair.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andrew continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd neither does Lauren completely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla looked at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe told you what she knew.\u201d<\/p>\n
He leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat doesn't mean she knows everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla was quiet.<\/p>\n
I knew what he was saying.<\/p>\n
There was no reason to turn Lauren into a villain.<\/p>\n
But there was also no reason to treat one person's account as absolute truth.<\/p>\n
The next morning, Eric called.<\/p>\n
Kayla stared at the phone until it stopped ringing.<\/p>\n
Then it rang again.<\/p>\n
She answered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello?\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn't hear his voice.<\/p>\n
Kayla listened.<\/p>\n
Her expression shifted from surprise to confusion.<\/p>\n
Then she stood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
She listened again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her eyes met mine.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don't understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
She walked toward the window.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, Eric. You're going to have to explain that.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
Then her face went completely still.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat do you mean you spoke to Amanda?\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla turned toward me.<\/p>\n
Eric was still speaking.<\/p>\n
She put him on speaker.<\/p>\n
His voice came through quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn't want to involve her.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou contacted my sister?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause there was something I needed to tell her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla stepped closer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric hesitated.<\/p>\n
Then he said, \u201cThe reason I left wasn't only about me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Kayla's face tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eric exhaled.<\/p>\n
\u201cI found something out about your family.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Kayla.<\/p>\n
Her eyes widened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat family?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYours.\u201d<\/p>\n
He paused.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I didn't know whether telling you would destroy you.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kayla did not sleep that night. Neither did I. At two in the morning, I heard footsteps in the hallway and found her sitting on the stairs with her phone … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3727,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sharestory"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3733"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3745,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3733\/revisions\/3745"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onesharedstory.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}