I felt several emotions at once. Relief washed over me because my worst suspicion had been wrong. But that relief was mixed with hurt and frustration. My husband had lost his job and kept it from me for an entire week. Instead of trusting me enough to share what was happening, he had allowed me to believe he was going to work every night. He apologized and admitted that his embarrassment had made him choose secrecy over honesty.

I began to understand the pressure he had been carrying. Losing a job can make someone feel ashamed, especially when they fear they are letting their family down. He had been afraid of disappointing me, but hiding the truth had only made the situation more painful. We also realized that the babysitter had been placed in an uncomfortable position by the misunderstanding. She had simply been doing her job, yet my suspicions had made an ordinary accident look like something much worse. We owed her an apology.