Dad’s voice shook. “Megan, twenty years ago, when your mother was sick, I took a loan I could not repay. I never told you how I covered it.” He looked at the floor. “Jason found out four years ago, and he paid every cent of it, quietly, from his own savings. I begged him never to say a word, because I was ashamed.”

My knees went weak. Jason stepped forward, pale. “That is not all,” he said. “I made Dad promise to tell you before I proposed. I did not want our marriage to start with a secret, and I did not want you to feel you owed me anything.” He pulled a small velvet box from his jacket pocket.