"I hope the information your mother gave to Hal will help us find our son." Eve walked over to the bar in the living room and poured herself a glass of water.

"I hope so, too," Julian said. "At least now we have a name."

"Yes," Eve said, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. "That's more than I've ever had."

Julian crossed the room to Eve and rubbed her back as she sank down onto the couch. "What happened to our son wasn't your fault, Eve."

Eve took a sip of her water and wiped tears from her cheeks. "I've always felt like it was."

Julian wrapped one arm around her.

Eve's eyes fell to the floor. "I feel the same way about my relationship with Whitney—that by not going back to TC, I'm somehow wronging her."

Julian looked up. "Did you have a run-in with Whitney earlier? Is that why you were so upset?"

"Yes." Eve looked at him. "But I don't think that pretending to be happy with TC would do Whitney or Simone any good."

Eve rose to her feet and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Since the moment Whitney was born, I've focused every last bit of energy I've had on keeping my daughters healthy and safe. It never even occurred to me that I had to extend any great effort to make sure they were happy. Part of me just assumed that if they 'followed the rules,' that would come naturally."

"Only that's not how it works," Julian observed.

"No, it isn't," Eve maintained. "I've been such a fool, Julian. I never let my daughters choose their own lives. TC and I worked very hard to make sure they both followed specific paths—we never even consulted with them."

Eve shook her head and threw her hands up in the air. "I mean, who even knows if Whitney wants to be a tennis star. We've never even asked her."

"Did you and Whitney have a fight about this?" Julian asked.

"No." Eve sat down next to Julian. "It's just that something TC said to me on Christmas Eve has really started eating at me."

Julian's heart skipped a beat. "What . . . what did he say, Eve?"

"He asked me if I was truly being myself." Eve's eyes flew to Julian's. "Or if I was just slipping back into a different version of my old patterns—being the woman you want me to be."

"The woman I want you to be?" Julian's brow creased. "Do you really think that's what's happening here?"

"No . . . yes . . . I don't know." Eve buried her head in her hands. "All I know is that I've never really been on my own. Sure, there were the years I spent alone between you and TC, but most of that time, I was in med school and couldn't even come up for air."

"Maybe you need some time to yourself . . ." Julian stammered. "A few days away at a spa . . ."

Eve looked up. "I don't think that's going to cut it."

Julian shifted in his seat; his eyes started to twitch. "Eve, what . . . what are you saying?"

"I don't know. This is really hard for me. When I first came here today, I had every intention of telling you that I couldn't see you anymore." Eve's voice cracked. "But God help me, I love you, Julian."

"I love you, too, Eve. And I . . . I can give you all the space you need." Julian's heart began to race. "We don't need to be together every day. We can take things as slowly as you need to—just let me know what feels right for you."

"I think that's the problem," Eve cried softly. "I don't have a clue about 'what's right' for me. For most of my adult life, I've been making decisions based on what I thought you wanted or what TC wanted—I haven't stopped for a second to consider what might be best for me."

Julian's eyes flew to hers. "I never asked you to do that."

"I know you didn't, Julian." Eve averted her eyes to the couch. "But maybe it's a pattern that's become so ingrained in me, that it's just what I default to doing. With TC, with you when we were younger . . ."

Julian hung his head. "My actions were inexcusable back then."

"I also didn't trust myself to just be me . . ." Eve looked up, tears in her eyes; her voice caught in her throat. "What if that's the example I'm setting for my daughters? What if I'm losing myself?"

Julian's heartbeat accelerated. "Is that what you think is happening?"

"I don't know." Eve laid her head on his shoulder. "I mean, I don't think it is—but how can I know for sure?"

"I don't know. I wish I knew." His stomach twisting in knots, Julian kissed her head. "All I know is that I love you, Eve—I love you more than life itself."

"I know you do," Eve whispered. A tear slipping down her face, she reached up and cupped Julian's cheek. "Can you love me enough, though, to let me figure this out by myself?"