I confronted Monica in her yard and demanded answers. She insisted she had never been Daniel’s mistress. Instead, she revealed that she had been dating him when he met me. Daniel had been on his way to meet her the night he ran the red light and struck me in the crosswalk. After taking me to the hospital, he ended his relationship with Monica and chose a life with me.
Then the young man I had often seen at Monica’s house appeared. His name was Luke, and Monica called him her son. He revealed that he had recently learned Daniel was his biological father. He had come hoping to meet Daniel, but Daniel died before they could ever speak. Monica had spent years hiding the truth, watching Daniel raise Ben while keeping Luke’s identity secret.
Then I realized the apples had never been about money. Monica had taken them because she was grieving too. She wanted me to feel, even briefly, what it was like to lose something connected to Daniel. I couldn’t excuse what she had done, but I finally understood the pain behind it.
