“Because I’ve changed. I had ten years of silence to hear everything I didn’t know. I thought I was leaving to find myself, but I discovered I was just an echo. A meaningless life. And every time I looked for love, I compared it to what I had left behind. I only understood the value of what I had when it disappeared.”
James let her breathe in that silence. He owed her no favors – but he offered them for the children.
« Then prove it to them, » he said. « Not with gifts. With consistency. »
In the months that followed, Sarah started small.
She walked the children to school, watched the twins’ soccer games, learned that Emma preferred her sandwiches cut into squares and which songs Mason hated. She attended Lily’s advanced science presentations and even Zoe’s art exhibit at the cultural center.
And slowly – not all at once – the walls began to crack.
One evening, Emma settled into his arms without hesitation. « I can smell the flowers, » she murmured.
Sarah held back her tears. « Do you like it? »
Emma nodded. « Can you sit next to me for the movie night? »
Sarah caught James’s eye from across the room, and he gave her a discreet nod.
It was a step forward.
But the question still lingered in that house: why had she really come back?
One night, after the children were in bed, Sarah found herself on the veranda with James. Fireflies danced in the grass, a cool breeze lulled the silence.
« I’ve been offered a position in Chicago, » she said. « It’s a great opportunity. But if I stayed, I’d have to give it up. »
James turned to her. « Do you want to stay? »
She took a deep breath. « Yes. But only if that’s truly what I want. »
James stared at the stars. « You won’t be returning to the same house you left. That chapter is closed. The children have built something new—and so have I. »
« I know, » she breathed.
« Maybe they’ll forgive you, maybe they’ll even love you. But that doesn’t mean we can be a couple again. »
Sarah nodded. « I don’t claim that. »
He looked at her for a long time. « But I think you’re becoming the kind of mother they deserve. And if you’re willing to regain every bit of their trust… we’ll find a way. »
Sarah exhaled slowly. « That’s all I want. »
One year later.
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