Iris caved, her shoulders slumping with defeat. Quietly, she reached behind her and pulled a stack of envelopes into view. They were banded by a rubber band, all except one. Her fingers lingered on the envelope, almost as if she were savoring the moment. Then, she carefully pulled a folded piece of paper from the torn flap. “Read it for yourself,” she invited and held the letter in Deven’s direction.

Deven hesitated, unsure if she was even ready for this secret. She took the paper and lowered her eyes to the ink.

Hey baby,

Thank you for the pictures. I miss you too. You know I’ve always loved your fine ass. Even when you married that corny asshole. You were always mine. And when I get out of here, I’m going to make that shit official. I’m so glad you agreed to it. You and me against the world like it always should’ve been. I can’t wait to show you just how much I’ve been thinking about you. Tell me, do you still taste the same? You make sure you dream about me. I love you.

All my love always,

Your husband, Keith

Deven had to blink to make sure she had read correctly. Stunned, she looked up at Iris who had suddenly found renewed interest in the seams on her comforter. “Your husband?” she asked holding the paper in the air like it was filthy.

“He’s not. That’s just something we say.” A ghost of a smile played on Iris’s lips. “Wishful thinking, I suppose.”

“How long has this been going on?”

Her mom touched the stack of battered envelopes. “Long enough,” she murmured, her voice yearning. “I’ve always loved that man.”

Deven shook her head. “No, you loved my dad.”

Tears glistened on the corner of Iris’s eyelids as she beckoned to her daughter. “Come sit down, Deven.”

“No.” The thought of being near her mother and listening to more lies was unbearable.

Iris patted the mattress. “Please, sweetie. Just let me explain. I owe you that, don’t I?”

She had a point. Deven sank to the edge of the bed, adamant on keeping a fair distance between them.

“Your father and I started having some problems shortly after I had you,” she explained. “I was dealing with post-partum depression, and I think that started driving us apart. So, when I met Keith that day at the gas station, he just . . . I don’t know there was something about him . . .” She gave a sigh that sent pain charring through Deven’s body. The passion for this man was literally oozing from Iris’s pores and she was glimpsing what her dad must’ve felt. How much his heart must’ve broken to know he loved this woman only for her to be in love with another man.