Chapter 6 - WHY ANDREW STAYED DEAD
I remained furious with Andrew.
Love and fury occupied the same room easily.
Three months after my discharge, we met at Blackwood Ranch, one of the last Whitmore properties that had never been pledged.
Samuel had preserved it inside an irrevocable family trust.
Richard never knew.
I asked Andrew:
“Would you have stayed dead forever?”
“No.”
“When would you have told me?”
“When the sealed investigation became public.”
“Which could have been years.”
“Yes.”
“That is monstrous.”
“I know.”
“Stop saying you know.”
He did.
I continued.
“You decided I couldn’t handle the truth.”
“No.”
“You decided for me.”
“Yes.”
There.
Better.
Andrew’s secrecy was not presented as noble anymore.
It had reasons.
It also had consequences.
He had protected evidence.
Preserved himself as a witness.
Potentially kept the investigation alive.
He also left his sister grieving alone with a man he suspected.
Both were true.
“I forgive you.”
He looked surprised.
I held up a hand.
“Eventually.”
His face fell.
Good.
“Right now, I’m choosing to rebuild a relationship.”
“That is not the same.”
He nodded.
“I’ll take it.”
May you like
We started there.
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