158 Going Deeper

(Jayden)

“Imagine being told by my best friend that you now loved Ashlyn and had no memory of me.” Winona’s voice is steady, but the hurt behind it is unmistakable.

She continues, “I was heartbroken. All I wanted was to get through rehabilitation as fast as possible and come find you. I was sure once you saw me, you’d remember what we had.”

I listen to her words. There’s no avoiding the pain she’s laying out in front of me.

“Jayden, remember this isn’t about blame,” Barnaby’s voice cuts in, calm and firm. “This is Winona expressing her truth. Just hear her. No excuses. No defensiveness. Just listen.”

I nod, silencing the instinct to defend myself.

“You never cared about my side of things,” Winona continues. “Not once. You never gave me the benefit of the doubt. You just accepted what they told you, even when I tried to help you remember.”

“Okay, let’s—” Barnaby starts but Winona keeps going.

“You made love to me the night I conceived Abby.” Her voice tightens. “I thought I’d finally