Chapter 8

After the pilot told them that they'd be delayed in Miami for at least another hour due to continued bad weather and that they could roam the cabin in the meantime, Sharon said, "Ok. If we're going to do this, there needs to be some ground rules. In therapist mode she laid them out. "First, the two of you may hear some things about people you love that don't put them in the best light. Adam and I have very different relationships with the Newman's than you do and you need to be open to hearing them. While we will share our truths, we will not expect you to accept them as fact for you. Only to acknowledge our feelings. Is that understood?"

Sharon pointedly looked at Faith and Noah to get their acquiescence and when they nodded, she continued. "Next, what happens here, stays here. You're welcome to talk to your friends and even the family about how you feel about what we reveal, but we are trusting you both with information that could be misinterpreted by people who aren't in this room if they hear it secondhand."

"And, finally, you're welcome to ask questions, but we ask that you respect our privacy if we choose not to say anymore on a subject. Okay?"

After everyone agreed, even Adam, Sharon began. She looked at Faith and asked, "Do you remember when your dad and I broke up a few years ago at the wedding?"

"Of course," she responded, "How could I forget you ripping our family apart?"

"But did she?" Sharon heard Adam ask, calmly, from his seat. "Or did your father do that by cheating on her with the one person guaranteed to hit your mother where it hurts the most?"

"What business is this of yours, Adam?," Noah asked from his seat, angrily.

"More than you'll ever realize, Noah," he replied as he got up and went to the bar and grabbed himself some water. "But I'll let your mother tell you..."

Sharon eyed Adam over his interference, but continued, "If he had slept with anyone else that night, I would have forgiven him and we'd probably still be married right now."

"What?" Faith asked, close to tears as the reality of her revelation hit home.

"It wasn't the first time your dad cheated on me. I've forgiven him for it before and would again. But Phyllis is different. He turned to Phyllis instead of me after Cassie died. And it ripped our family apart."

"But even though he left your mother to be with Phyllis, your dad couldn't let go. He continued to insert himself in Sharon's life, flaunting his new family in front of her face while stringing her along. You were conceived, Faith, because your father cheated on Phyllis with your mother."

"Adam," Sharon scolded harshly.

"What? It's the truth isn't it?"

"It's not that simple and you know it."

"Nick cheated on you when he was with you, with you when he wasn't, and then ran back to his other family while you were pregnant. What do I have wrong?"

"Nothing," she admitted reluctantly. "But it's also not the whole story." Sharon looked at Faith and added, "Your father said he was going to leave Phyllis for me, but then Summer got sick. I couldn't let him walk away when his family needed him, so I lied and said Jack was your father to get him to go back. And that led me down a path I wasn't proud of."

"What do you mean?" Faith asked.

"I stole things and didn't remember doing it. Instead of sending me to jail for it, they had me go to Fairview for treatment. And, unbeknownst to me, that put me straight in Adam's path..."

Just as Adam was about to jump in to pick up the story, Faith stopped him. "Wait? If you were in Fairview, why didn't they diagnose your bipolar then?"

"I don't know. Maybe because they didn't look beyond the stealing at the time…"

"Is that why you freaked out on me a few months ago when that figurine went missing?"

"Yes."

Faith looked down at her lap. "Oh."

Sharon unbuckled her belt and walked over and kneeled in front of her daughter. "I don't think you have bipolar, Faith. But I'm still going to watch for signs because, if it should ever manifest, I want to make sure we catch it early so that you don't live though what I did. Okay?"

Sharon was surprised when Faith leaned forward and hugged her tight. "Okay. Thanks, mom."