At that moment, just one look at Abigail's face and Jerry knew—she was not joking. Her eyes didn't blink. Her lips didn't even twitch. She looked serious. Very serious. Like someone who wasn't going to walk away from this until she heard the truth.
Jerry let out a quiet breath and dropped his head for a second. He felt his chest grow heavier. He knew Abigail wasn't the kind of person to leave someone she cared about in the dark. She wanted to know everything, and she wanted to stand by his side. But the truth… the truth was too much.
It was worse than she could ever imagine.
He turned away slowly and sat down on the edge of the couch. His hands rested on his knees. His fingers locked together tightly. He stared at the floor and spoke without looking up.
"If I had known you were already fighting your step-family," he said quietly, "I never would have let you get involved with me."
Abigail's face changed a little. She looked confused now, her eyebrows pulling together.
