There was a long silence. Then, a soft, resigned sigh. “I wish you had trusted me enough to be honest, Dad.”

Her words hit me harder than I expected. Trust. It had been at the core of my decisions, yet I had undermined it through secrecy. “I’m sorry, Gina. I truly am.”

Our conversation ended shortly afterward, leaving me in a quiet apartment that felt even smaller in the aftermath. I sat there, reflecting on the years of secrecy that had brought us to this point. In trying to protect my family, I had inadvertently pushed them away.