Chapter 14 - Morgan Finally Told Her ParentsMorgan had spent months terrified of being exposed.
When the moment came to tell her parents herself, she almost couldn’t do it.
Her mother, Diane, sat at the breakfast table.
Her father, Walter, stood near the coffee maker.
Morgan said:
“Pierce and I separated.”
Diane immediately asked:
“Why?”
Morgan could have softened it.
Compatibility.
Communication.
Different lives.
Instead:
“I had an affair.”
Walter slowly put down his mug.
Diane stared.
“With who?”
“Sierra.”
Her mother blinked.
“Your trainer?”
“Yes.”
“How long?”
“Months.”
Diane covered her mouth.
Walter turned toward the window.
Morgan continued before cowardice returned.
“Ava knew she was coming to the house.”
Both parents turned.
“What?”
“I told Ava not to tell Pierce.”
Diane stood.
“You involved that baby?”
Morgan began crying.
“I know.”
“No, Morgan.”
Her mother shook her head.
“No.”
“I know.”
“You do not ask a child to lie to her father.”
“I know.”
Walter finally spoke.
“Did Pierce hurt you?”
Morgan looked at him.
“No.”
“Was he abusive?”
“No.”
“Controlling?”
“No.”
“Then why were you preparing for custody?”
Morgan stared.
Pierce had told them?
No.
Her expression revealed the question.
Walter said:
“Your lawyer called us months ago.”
Morgan froze.
“What?”
“She wanted to know how much childcare support we could provide.”
Diane looked furious.
“You told us you were considering returning to work full-time.”
Morgan had forgotten.
Her attorney asked whether grandparents could help if Morgan became single.
Morgan had given permission to call.
Then she lied to her parents about why.
“I’m sorry.”
Diane sat.
“Were you planning to take Ava from Pierce?”
“No.”
“Then why all this planning?”
“I was scared.”
Her mother looked at her.
“Of telling the truth.”
“Yes.”
Diane’s anger softened slightly.
But not much.
Morgan told them everything.
The emotional affair.
The physical relationship.
The cabin.
The apartment.
The financial withdrawals.
Sierra’s debt.
Callum’s fraud.
By the end, Walter sat with his head in both hands.
“Every time you reached a point where telling the truth would hurt,” he said, “you chose another lie.”
Morgan cried.
“Yes.”
“That’s the part you need to understand.”
“I do.”
“No.”
He looked at her.
“You keep talking about Sierra.”
Morgan stiffened.
“She mattered.”
“I’m sure.”
Walter’s voice remained calm.
“But if Sierra vanished last November, you were still unhappy.”
“Yes.”
“You still felt ignored.”
“Yes.”
“You still wanted Pierce to change.”
“Yes.”
“So your marriage already had problems.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you leave before having an affair?”
Morgan had asked herself that every night.
“Because I wanted both.”
The room went silent.
Morgan cried.
“I wanted Pierce’s stability.”
She wiped her face.
“I wanted our home. Ava’s life. Holidays. My parents liking my husband. Everything familiar.”
“And Sierra?”
“I wanted to feel wanted.”
Diane’s face softened.
Morgan continued.
“And I kept thinking I could wait until the perfect moment to choose.”
Walter nodded.
“There isn’t one.”
“I know.”
“The longer you waited, the more everyone else paid.”
Morgan closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
That was the cleanest explanation she had found.
Not loneliness.
Not sexuality.
Not Pierce’s travel.
Not Sierra’s pressure.
Those were factors.
The decision was simpler.
Morgan wanted incompatible lives at the same time.
So she lied to keep both.
Diane reached across the table.
“Do you love Pierce?”
“Yes.”
“Do you love Sierra?”
Morgan hesitated.
“I don’t know what part was love anymore.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“It’s the only one I have.”
Walter asked:
“Do you want your marriage back?”
Morgan cried harder.
“Yes.”
Then:
“But I don’t think I deserve to ask.”
Diane shook her head.
“Marriage isn’t a prize for deserving people.”
Morgan looked at her.
“You can ask.”
Her mother continued.
“He can say no.”
That distinction mattered.
Morgan returned home that afternoon and found Pierce collecting some clothes.
“I told my parents.”
He looked at her.
“About?”
“Everything.”
Pierce paused.
“How did that go?”
“Badly.”
He almost smiled.
Morgan did too.
For one second they felt familiar.
Then reality returned.
Morgan said:
“I want to ask you something.”
Pierce folded a shirt.
“Okay.”
“I want to try marriage counseling.”
His hands stopped.
She rushed on.
“I’m not asking you to move home.”
He said nothing.
“I’m not asking you to forgive me.”
Still nothing.
“I’m asking whether there’s any part of you that wants to know if we can rebuild.”
Pierce looked at her.
Morgan’s heart pounded.
Finally:
“Yes.”
Hope exploded across her face.
Pierce immediately continued.
“But that is not the same as saying I think we can.”
Her hope dimmed.
“I understand.”
He put the shirt into his bag.
Morgan whispered:
“What would it take?”
Pierce looked toward the upstairs hallway.
“Ava trusting both of us again.”
“Yes.”
“You stopping the legal preparation designed to make me look absent.”
“I already did.”
“You rebuilding the emergency fund.”
“I will.”
“No secret contact with Sierra while we decide.”
Morgan nodded.
“Done.”
Pierce paused.
“And no promise that this ends with us married.”
Morgan’s eyes filled.
“Okay.”
Pierce zipped the bag.
Then his phone rang.
Sierra.
He stared.
Morgan looked confused.
“Why is she calling you?”
Pierce answered.
“What?”
Sierra was crying.
“Pierce, Morgan isn’t answering.”
Morgan’s face hardened.
Pierce put the call on speaker.
“What happened?”
Sierra inhaled shakily.
“Callum disappeared.”
Pierce frowned.
“What does that have to do with us?”
“He left a note.”
Morgan stepped closer.
“What note?”
Sierra’s voice cracked.
“It says Grant is coming after the person who reported the furniture account.”
May you like
Morgan went pale.
She was the person who reported it.
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