I ran towards him, with my arms open.
"My baby..."
"Stop," he said.
His voice was not angry.
He was tired. He raised a hand, keeping a careful distance between us.
"I want me to tell you the truth now."
I froze.
"That?"
Andrew looked over my shoulder into the house.
"Where is Marcus?"
The heat that had invaded my chest disappeared as quickly as it appeared.
"He went for a walk."
"I'll wait."
Without asking permission, he entered.
I closed the door behind him and kept looking at him.
His clothes were nothing like the colorful skirts and soft sweaters he loved to wear as a teenager. He wasn't wearing any makeup. Everything about him seemed different.
As if she could read my thoughts, she looked at me. "People look at my clothes instead of listening to what I say."
The heat flooded my face.
"I'm sorry."
"I came back for one reason only."
He met my gaze.
"It's time for Marcus to stop lying."
My heart started racing.
"Lying about what?"
"You'll find out when it arrives."
There was no more anger in Andrew's voice, only certainty. He entered the living room and stood there.
I wanted to ask a thousand questions.
Where had he gone?
Was I safe?
Had he been happy?
Did he even think about me?
