He exhaled heavily. “That’s why I looked the way I did. I wasn’t hiding a secret from you. I was terrified that one existed, without my knowledge, and one in which I would be implicated. Missing records are dangerous, legally and medically. I wanted to protect myself as much as you.” His candor was raw and strangely relieving.
Walking home, Linda felt the scar’s weight shift. It no longer throbbed with menace. It was a reminder of a battle she didn’t remember fighting, a survival etched silently into her skin. The betrayal of silence lingered, but at least the fear was lifted, and replaced by something quieter and heavier—the truth.