He smiled. “Because lies or not, you lived. You smiled and laughed. You traveled the world. You created a successful business. And you were hell-bent on taking over the whole damn world that had wronged you. Those were all the things I did not do when I lost your mother. My job is not to be your friend. My job is not to make sure you have all the facts of a troubled girl’s life. My job is to protect you. So I did whatever was necessary to shield you from the pain so that you could live. l have no regrets, Thea. None.”
