Quinn ended up nodding off while Clay was taken in for surgery again. It gave Haley more time to reflect on what Nathan and Brooke had told her. This might be a big thing, but it wasn't worth their marriage. It wasn't worth their family. Yes, she would need time, but they weren't over. He hadn't told her he was leaving. He hadn't told her that he was still actively involved with someone else. He still loved her and wanted to be with her. That was all that mattered.

"Where's Nathan?" Quinn mumbled.

"He went to get your stuff from the house. He'll be back soon."

She nodded. Quinn seemed to stare at her like she knew something was on her mind. Haley believed her intuition was strong with those she loved, but Quinn's seemed almost supernatural. She knew her better than herself sometimes.

"What's wrong?"

"I-I've just been worried sick," Haley answered. It wasn't wrong, but it was certainly vague. "I'm the one who found you both, and I've sat here all day thinking about how bad things might have been if I hadn't gotten there in time."

"Why did you come to the beach house, anyway? I mean, I'm not complaining or anything; you saved my life. But what brought you there?"

Haley sighed. No half-truths came to mind. She wouldn't lie to her sister, and even if she did, she would see right through it. Combined with how she was hesitating to answer such a simple question...

"I wanted to talk to you." Haley decided to say. "I- Something happened with Nathan, and I needed to vent."

If she was being honest, she wasn't really sure what she had intended. She had known Clay would be there. Perhaps some part of her had wanted to confront him then and there in front of Quinn. Or maybe she just would have gone for a walk down the beach and poured her heart out to Quinn.

"Well, why don't you talk to me now?" Quinn said with a small smile. "I'm not exactly going anywhere now, am I?"

Haley had thought long and hard about how to approach the conversation. She hadn't wanted to disrespect Clay's right to tell his side of the story or impose on his relationship with Quinn. She had ultimately concluded she could get most of her emotions out by just omitting the name of who Nathan had slept with.

Haley clasped her hands together in her lap, speaking quietly. "Nathan confessed something to me this morning. And I don't really know how to feel about it. He…" She let out a breath. "He had an affair. Back when he was on the road."

"Wait. I thought Renee wasn't pregnant with his baby?"

"Not Renee. Someone else. A… a guy."

Her eyebrows raised. "What?"

"H-He said he knew he'd been attracted to men for a while, but he also told me that he still loved me and felt the same way and that it would never happen again," Haley went on. "I know people can be attracted to girls and guys. I just… it still hurts, you know?"

When she looked up, she noticed that Quinn had an expression of recognition. Haley had expected her to ask a slew of questions about when, where, how, and why, but she didn't seem to need more information.

"It was Clay, wasn't it?"

Haley froze. How did she know? She had mentally rehearsed that sentence about fifty times. She hadn't given any indication that it was Clay. Right?

"Haley, Clay's gay," Quinn explained, her voice very solemn, like she wanted her to understand it wasn't something that was public knowledge. "I… I've known for a while."

She furrowed her brow. "But you're… together, aren't you?"

"Not as of a couple of months ago. Let me explain." Quinn sighed. "One night, we were sitting and looking through some old photos. It was when we were putting together that slideshow for Mom. Clay had brought out a box. There were some photos of Sara in there. He opened up about her a little. He… I'd never seen him so vulnerable." Haley observed the fondness in her sister's eyes. "When he went to look for another box, I kept looking through them, but then… something else fell out. An envelope. It looked like it had been tucked away on purpose. There were more pictures in there. Not digital. Polaroids. No trace except the original. He had told me he was terrible with cameras, but these were… beautiful. Some just looked like the guys together when they were out on the road. Then I saw a few that had to have been taken in bed. They were…" She shrugged vaguely. "Artsy. I recognised Clay. But I could never tell who the other person was until now."

Although Haley could already connect the dots, she was too preoccupied with the fact that he'd kept the photos. Not because she was worried about someone suing them against Nathan; if they were polaroids and Quinn hadn't recognised her own brother-in-law, then Haley was quite sure it was fine. But because there was something so… intimate about it. People didn't just take and keep photos of one-night stands. Clay loved him. And, to her own surprise, she didn't take that as a threat. No, she felt an odd sense of fondness for him. She cared about Nathan. So, to know that someone else apparently did just as much as her, and in the same way… it made her feel comfortable. He got such little support from his parents, and even though Lucas was a wonderful brother to him, he wasn't within reach on account of Peyton's ongoing health issues and adjustment to parenthood. Then Haley became aware that Clay was fighting for his life. She never thought she would have so much empathy for the man her husband had cheated on her with, and yet…

"Then Clay came back. He caught me red-handed. He… he was very upset at first. It scared me a little. I-I explained to him that it wasn't a big deal. I told him it didn't matter… and that was when he came out to me. He… he sat down, he wouldn't look me in the eye, and he told me that he was gay." Quinn frowned slightly. "He looked so ashamed. He begged me not to tell anybody. He said that kind of thing could end his and Nathan's career, so he didn't want it getting out. So, because I care about him and Nathan and you, I didn't. Truth be told, I was more upset about the fact that he hid his photography talent. Because his work was great."

Haley nodded.

"What about… what about Sara? I mean… they were married."

"He didn't realise it until after Sara. I- I didn't really get into that with him. He was more occupied with making sure I kept this secret. So, I'm staying with him because I love him and I care about him, and I want to make sure he can come out when he's ready."

"But aren't you putting your whole life on hold by pretending to be in a relationship just for his sake?"

Quinn didn't seem to disagree, but she didn't seem bothered by it either.

"He's very good to me. He treats me well, and he loves me. And I want to support him as a friend, in every way that I can, until he's in a position to live his life properly." She met her eyes and seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Even though I know it must have hurt for you to learn about Nathan cheating… please don't take it out on Clay. It was a choice that both of them made."

She could see how protective Quinn was getting over Clay. And she couldn't fault her for that. She realised, objectively, that Clay was in a difficult position. To have to choose between safety and being his authentic self… sounded terrible. Their mother had always raised them to be proud of who they are and embrace their true selves. Not everyone had that privilege. Nathan certainly hadn't. So, who was she to judge? If the people closest to Clay knew the truth and vowed to protect it… then she would do the same. She would respect his wishes. Yes, she would still appreciate a conversation with him about the affair, but she had different intentions about it now. The image she'd had of storming over and confronting him was gone. No, she just wanted to talk to him about it for closure. She didn't want to lose him.

She didn't want to lose him because another lesson her mother had taught her was never to turn her back on her family.

And everything she'd learned today just reinforced that Clay was indeed family.