“I would like to discuss how we move forward.”
Ethan read the letter once before handing it to me. “What do you think?”
“You can answer when you’re ready,” I said. After a moment, I added, “Tell her moving forward starts with telling the truth about where you’ve been.”
He smiled. Then he placed the letter in a drawer.
To answer your question: Yes, I believe Ethan was wrong to keep Camille’s existence from Ava. While his intentions might have been rooted in a desire to protect her, keeping a secret of that magnitude isolated his wife and left their marriage deeply vulnerable to outside manipulation—which is exactly what his mother exploited. True partnership means tackling complex realities together, not shielding the other person in the dark. As Ava perfectly states in the story, “You don’t protect me by keeping me in the dark.”
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where someone tried to “protect” you by withholding the truth?
