Chapter 8 - My Sons Asked Why I Had Been Gone for Four Years, and Their Innocent Question Broke Me More Than Any Courtroom Ever CouldOne night, Eli asked:
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“Why didn't you come before?”
I couldn't lie.
“I didn't know.”
He thought about it.
“Why?”
“Because I wasn't listening.”
He nodded.
“That's sad.”
“Yes.”
“Were you scared?”
“Yes.”
“Of what?”
“Losing everything.”
He looked at me.
“You lost us.”
I felt my throat close.
“Yes.”
He reached for my hand.
“But you found us.”
I smiled through tears.
“Yes.”
He hugged me.
“Good.”
I realized children didn't need perfect parents.
They needed honest ones.
I promised all three boys I would never disappear again.
May you like
They held me to it.
Every day.
Related Stories
Chapter 9 - Clare and I Took Our Sons Back to the Hospital Where They Were Born, and the Past Finally Stopped HurtingWe visited the maternity ward.
Chapter 10 - My Sons Grew Up With My Last Name, but Clare Made Sure They Also Knew Their Mother’sThe boys were taught humility.
Chapter 11 - I Gave Up Sole Control of the Mercer Empire So My Sons Would Never Have to Fight Over ItWhen the boys turned ten, I changed the structure again.
Chapter 12 - Noah Asked Me Why I Remarried His Mother After I Had Hurt Her, and I Finally Told Him the TruthNoah asked:
Chapter 13 - The Three Boys Became Teenagers, and I Finally Saw the Men They Were BecomingTeenage years were chaos.
Chapter 14 - My Sons Graduated Together, and I Realized the Boy Who Called Me “Dad” Had Given Me the One Thing Money Never CouldGraduation day came.
