“My mother was having an affair with Brody Culver, wasn’t she?” My voice is low. Almost a whisper. But I know Glory hears me, because she turns completely white.

“What?” Glory is shaking her head.

“She was cheating on my dad with Brody Culver. And he was cheating on Willa with her.”

“No.” Glory looks so shaken. And so confused. “No,” she says again. And she takes the picture out of my hands. Stares at it. Like she’s trying to see what I saw. “Why would you say that? Why would you even think it?”

“I found something in her notebook,” I say.

“No.” Glory shakes her head. “That’s ridiculous. Brody has a certain reputation,” she admits. “People talk. He can be a little handsy with his actresses.” It grates on me, the way she says his actresses. Like they belong to him, and not to themselves. “But he’d never cheat on Willa.” She scoops all the photos up and puts them back in the box. “And Nicki would never have— Not in a million years. Not with Brody.” She puts the box back in the closet and closes the door. “Your mother loved Willa so much.”

But I’m not letting this go.

“My dad said he was pretty sure she’d met someone.”

Glory shakes her head. “Nicki would never have done that. Not to Willa.”

“He said she wasn’t coming home.” I get up and walk to where Glory is still standing. Near the closet. “My dad. He said it was over between them.”

“I don’t know anything about that.” Glory is so clearly flustered. I know she’s lying.

“Brody put down money on an apartment,” I say. “In New York City. An apartment in my mom’s name.”

“How do you know about that?” Glory looks stunned. She chews on her lip. Searches her sweater for cat hair.

“It doesn’t matter,” I say. “But why would he do that if they weren’t together?”

“The apartment w-was Willa’s idea,” Glory stammers. “She and Brody both wanted to help. That’s all. Your mom wasn’t happy in Texas. Willa and Brody both wanted her closer. They thought—”

“Why won’t you just tell me the truth?” My voice is sharper than I mean for it to be. “My mother was cheating on my dad with Brody Culver.”

“No. She wasn’t.”

“It was all so long ago. Why lie about it? Just tell me the truth. If they—”

“No, Avril. You’ve got it all wrong.”

“Jesus!” I’m so frustrated. Because the answers feel so close, but still so far away. “I can handle the truth. I promise!”

“It was me.”

“What?”