“And that would’ve been fine with you? That everyone in DC knew my husband was having an affair, but I was in the dark?”

“Like I said, it was going to come to light. It’s happened too many times to too many of us and it always does,” Sonya said.

Cecily picked up. “So it wasn’t like anyone was judging you or talking about you behind your back before you found out.” Before I could accuse her of being a liar, Cecily added, “Plus, I know Sonya believes that these things will always come to light, but I was hoping that you would never find out. Once Jeremy took care of his business and just paid the girl off, I figured she’d get rid of the baby and that slate would be wiped clean.”

Her words had made it to my ears, but not to the understanding part of my brain. “Excuse me?” I said, sounding like I was accusing her of something.

“Don’t go all Christian on me now,” Cecily said. “I’m not saying that he should pay her to have an abortion, I just mean pay her off so that she’d give the baby up for adoption. Or maybe just pay her to take the baby and disappear, like that pastor did over in Arlington. That woman never showed up again. And his wife told me that he was so sorry, he’s been nothing but faithful ever since.”

“Baby?”

Cecily studied me for a moment, then, her eyes widened. “Oh my, Lord.” She lowered her eyes, looking away from me.

Through squinted eyes, Sonya said, “Ginger.” She paused. “You didn’t know about the baby?”

“What...baby?” I stammered.

Cecily pinched her lips together as if she never planned to speak another word again. So this was the moment she chose to get righteous? “Oh, hell no,” I said, my voice raising an octave above the appropriate inside level. It was the heat of stares from patrons around me that made me take a breath and lower my voice, though my temperature continued to rise. “You both started this,” I said, my eyes on fire with my fury. “So you better finish it.”

Sonya and Cecily exchanged glances as if now, all of a sudden, they weren’t sure if they should continue.

“It’s too late,” I said. And then, because I was desperate, I said, “Please. Tell me what you know about Jeremy and Katrina having a baby.”

“Katrina?” Sonya and Cecily said at the same time.

Then, Cecily said, “Who’s Katrina?”

I blinked. “But you said....”

“We,” Cecily pointed between her and Sonya, “didn’t say anything about Katrina. I hadn’t heard that rumor.”

Oh, my God. I pressed my hand over my mouth as Sonya said, “No, her name wasn’t Katrina. It was Sharonne. I remember because I thought her name was so unusual.”

Sharonne. My head filled with a monument of moments: