Daniel didn’t answer.
“You did,” Kenneth continued.
The words landed harder than anything I could have said.
Jane crossed her arms.
“I’ve never asked Daniel to compare us.”
Elliot nodded.
“Neither have I.”
Daniel looked around angrily.
“This is ridiculous.”
Kenneth shook his head.
“No. What’s ridiculous is making the mother of your children feel ashamed because she doesn’t look like your brother’s girlfriend.”
I felt tears forming, but I refused to let them fall.
I looked at the photographer.
“I want another picture.”
Daniel frowned.
“Of what?”
“Me and my girls.”
He started to protest.
I stopped him.
“Just us.”
The photographer smiled.
Paige reached for my hair.
Piper grabbed my sunglasses.
And I laughed.
This time, nobody told me to cover myself.
That evening, Daniel tried to minimize everything.
“So our entire marriage is in trouble because I said you gained weight?”
“No,” I told him. “The marriage is in trouble because you made me believe I needed your approval to feel comfortable in my own skin.”
He became quiet.
“We’re going to counseling,” I said. “And if you want this marriage to survive, I need more than an apology.”
“What do you need?”
