Telling the truth

"W-what you told me was that he's been g-gone for a long time, but the t-truth is he's s-still a-alive. Why did you l-lie to me, mommy?" Venedict said while crying, so I took it upon myself to wipe away the tears from his eyes.

"Mommy, why?" he added.

"The truth, my dear, is that things got complicated between your dad and me.. C-can you please try to understand? I find it hard to express that my relationship with your dad didn't have a happy ending, and as a result, you grew up without really knowing him..... W-we lived apart from him," I explained, tears welling in my eyes as I couldn't bear to see Venedict cry.

I noticed him falling into silence, tears still silently flowing. Sensing his need for comfort, I embraced him tightly, pressing a gentle kiss on his forehead, and tenderly stroking his back in an attempt to console him and alleviate his tears.