The First Lie

He would say it all started with a kiss. But that’s not true. None of it is true or real, and that’s because it all started with the first lie. Not the first lie I ever told, but the first lie I ever told him.

I should just walk away, because even though I don’t say anything, I'm still wrong. A lie of omission is still a lie. I'm letting him believe what he wants, and that makes it all my fault.

Their faces make it hurt so much worse. I hang my head and turn away from them. Dahlia has her tiny hand in his, his skin dry and stained from years of working under the hood of a car.

Sadie isn’t hanging on him. She has her fear and her sadness locked up tight, pulled back into that harsh ponytail with her hair. Eleven, soon to be twelve, she’s sharp, and she knows what’s playing out in our little two-bedroom house. Maybe she doesn’t understand bigger words like infidelity, but Sadie knows what it is to cheat. To want more because nothing around this house is satisfactory. Sadie knows the word leave.

Writing prompt: Use the phrase it all started with the first lie.

#lies #cheater #omissions #leave