CHAPTER 11. You have to trust me

If the ground had opened up beneath him and had the decency to swallow him, Zack probably would have felt better. He had never seen so much deprivation all at once, and the only thing he could think was that, with how hard this woman worked and the effort she put in, the lack of... everything couldn’t be her fault.

He looked around and felt a knot forming in his stomach. She didn’t even have a bed, so he didn’t need to ask about anything else. Now he understood why she walked forty minutes from work to home because she probably couldn’t afford the bus fare.

There was nothing in that space that wasn’t absolutely essential for life, and the only toy was a small stuffed animal, the kind they give out at the hospital.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Zack murmured, his deep voice half-choked.

“Tell you what?” Andrea murmured, cradling her baby.

“That you were in a difficult situation!” he replied.

“Because it wasn’t your business. You can’t go around burdening ot