Chapter 6: FAMILY SECRETS

The apartment was silent, save for the soft hum of the air conditioning. I sat across from Jimmy at my dining table, the very one where I’d shared countless meals in solitude, now serving as the stage for a conversation that was unraveling the fabric of my life. My heart was still racing from his revelation about Daniel, and my mind was a whirlpool of questions and fears.

Jimmy’s presence was an unwelcome reminder of my past—one I had worked so hard to leave behind. The years had not been kind to him; his gaunt face and the way he fidgeted with his hands told a story of struggle and regret. He was a shadow of the man I had once known, but even so, his presence carried the weight of unresolved history.

I poured him a cup of coffee, a small gesture of hospitality that felt insincere given the gravity of our conversation. As he sipped it with shaking hands, his eyes were clouded with a mixture of guilt and sorrow. I could see the effort it took for him to find the right words, and I brac