He already had a child with another woman and planned to divorce me. Why still pretend to be considerate?
I had barely opened the door when Charlton appeared, waiting outside. He thrust a suit into my arms and said in a coaxing tone, “Today’s Mariam’s birthday. You upset her yesterday, so you must apologize personally.”
Coldness swept across my eyes. “I’m not going.”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. “Almost everyone from the hospital will be there tonight. They already know you’re out of prison. If you don’t show up, the rumors will only grow worse, and more people will be disgraced than just you.”
My throat tightened. Memories of my old colleagues rose before me—people I had trusted, who had sat in silence at my trial, heads bowed, as if I truly had been the killer of my own child.
“Arizona,” Charlton said, taking my hand. “It hasn’t been easy getting to where we are. If we can just get through this one time, we can start over. Once I’m promoted, I’ll apply for a deputy director position abroad. Then, we can be together, won’t we?”