My heart was thumping in my chest—so intensely, in fact, that it felt like it was about to break a whole through my ribcage and flop onto the floor. I found myself in a position where I regretted the choices that had led up to this moment, while knowing that I wouldn’t do anything differently. I was still standing here, in front of Dae, while he was still waiting for me to answer him—and I found myself speechless. I had no idea what to say to him. Did I treat it like a confrontation to find out why he hadn’t told me about Cire’s pregnancy? What if he didn’t know about it, and I stole Cire’s chance to tell him herself? But what if it was all a lie? That last possibility, as slim as it may have been, was more than enough to help me make my decision. Whether this was the right thing to do