The parking garage was quiet, which made the man's and the woman's voices carry with painful clarity.
I pressed my hands over Marilyn's eyes, terrified she might see something no child should witness.
The woman's voice was syrupy, dripping with a breathy softness that could melt bone.
"Alberta has every right to resent me. After all, if it weren't for me, she and Marilyn wouldn't have had to go through any of this."
The man's voice was rough, thick with the kind of rasp that only came from one thing.
"Don't say that. The decision was mine. If she has a problem, she can take it up with me."
"Besides, medical technology is advancing so fast these days. There'll be a solution eventually. I'll make it up to them both."
...
I choked back my tears, scooped Marilyn into my arms, and left the parking garage. I hailed a cab and went straight home.
The moment we walked through the door, Marilyn burst into tears and threw herself into my arms.
"What was Daddy doing with that lady just now? And what did she mean at the party, all those things she said?"
"Has Daddy been lying to us this whole time? Does he not love me and Mommy? Does he love that lady and her daughter instead?"