Truth Be Told by Victoria Christopher Murray

bed, and walked to the window. The sky’s blackness was interrupted by the full moon’s brightness. When she was seven, her father told her that a full moon was a new moon, representing a new cycle of life. That fascinated her, and for years, she’d run to the window every night, eager to view new life. Her search for the full moon continued until she received that call in her first year in college.
    â€œGrace, dear,” her mother had sobbed. “Your dad … Neil had a heart attack.”
    She had slumped on her bed in Kelsey Hall, understanding the words in her head but having no comprehension in her heart. When she glanced up, it was through tear-filled eyes that she saw the full moon. She stared at the earth’s satellite until she said good-bye to her mother. Then she stood and closed the curtains.
    Now she looked at the moon a moment longer before she closed the drapes and returned to bed. Less than a second later, she heard the creaking squeak of the garage door. She jumped up, then sank back under the covers. To Grace, the minutes felt like hours as she waited, but when she heard Conner in the hallway, she glanced at the clock again: 10:04.
    He walked into the room with his eyes lowered, but then he looked up and their stares held each other. He forced a slight smile. “You’re still up.”
    â€œI was worried.”
    â€œI’m sorry.”
    With heavy steps, he moved to her and allowed his lips to meet hers. It was a perfunctory kiss, and when he pulled back, the sadness in his eyes belied his smile.
    Grace’s glance followed Conner as he moved across the room. “So,” she called out when he stepped into his closet. “I was here this afternoon.” She waited for him to answer her unasked question.
    Seconds of silence passed before he said, “I got caught up.”
    She jerked a bit at his explanation. “You weren’t at the office. Marilyn thought you were here.”
    Again silence. Then, “I went back to the office … afterward.”
    After what? she wanted to ask.
    He stepped from the closet, dressed in black checkered pajama bottoms. “I’m sorry I missed our date.”
    She couldn’t tell if it was sadness or sincerity that veiled his eyes. She forced herself to smile. “That’s okay. Whatever came up must have been important.” Her statement was a question, but he responded with just a nod before he pulled back the covers on his side of the bed.
    He closed his eyes the moment he touched the pillow, and Grace wondered if he were praying. She’d sat frozen since he’d come into the room, but now she rolled onto her stomach.
    â€œConner, do you want to talk about it?”
    His eyes opened, and he shook his head. Then he pulled her against his chest. “I just want to hold you.”
    She wrapped her arms around him, feeling the hammering of his heart. What’s wrong, Conner? she pleaded inside. It was nothing more than a case, she rationalized. Conner’s and Chandler’s reputation brought the opportunity to litigate countless class action suits since they’d won the thirty-million-dollar settlement against the Apex Corporation for faulty hip implants that thousands had received. That case had brought professional and financial success, as well as overwhelming pressure to continue to deliver. She couldn’t count the number of times Conner had come home like this. Sometimes it took him days to talk.
    She held him tighter and soon felt the calm of his sleep breathing. Still, she didn’t move. She needed to feel his arms, holding her as if he would never let go. Grace closed her eyes, but knew she would not rest. It wasn’t that the lights were still on or that her leg had stiffened under the weight of Conner’s leg over hers. It was the ache that kept sleep away. The ache that began deep and rose to her heart’s center, and told her there was a reason that the full