The living room was a mess of half-packed boxes, each one filled with the remnants of a life I was leaving behind. I folded the last of my clothes, the weight of the moment sinking in. This was it. A fresh start. A new beginning with Eric, a man who had pieced me back together after everything I had been through.
The knock on the door was firm and insistent, jolting me from my thoughts. My heart stuttered. I wasn’t expecting anyone. A strange unease crept up my spine as I walked over.
When I pulled the door open, the past came rushing in like a tidal wave.
“Tom?”
There he was—my ex-husband, the man who had once shattered me and left me to pick up the pieces. His face was gaunt, older than I remembered, the confidence that had once defined him replaced by something else. Regret? Pain?
“Linda,” he said, his voice rough, uncertain. “Can I come in?”
Everything in me screamed to slam the door in his face. He didn’t deserve a moment more of my time, not after what he did. And yet, against my better judgment, I stepped aside.
He walked in slowly, his eyes sweeping over the boxes stacked against the walls.
“Moving?”
“Yes. Into Eric’s place,” I said, testing the name on my tongue, waiting for the reaction.
He flinched. It was subtle, but I caught it. He forced a weak smile, nodding. “That’s… good. I’m glad you found someone.”
Silence stretched between us, thick and uncomfortable. It felt like a wound I thought had healed was being ripped open again.
“Tom, what do you want?” I finally asked.
He hesitated, shifting on his feet. “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need to be. I know I don’t have the right to ask you for anything after what I did, but… I need your help.”
My chest tightened.
“The woman I left you for,” he continued, his voice barely above a whisper, “she passed away two weeks ago.”
I swallowed, trying to ignore the unexpected pang of sympathy. He looked away, his hands clenched into fists at his sides.
“And I… I have a daughter now. Ava. She’s just a little girl, Linda. And I— I can’t do it alone. I thought I could, but I can’t.” He looked up at me, eyes pleading. “I need you.”
Of all the things I had expected, this wasn’t one of them.
The man who had walked away from me without a backward glance was now standing here, asking me to step into the role he once refused to give me.
“Why me?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “You could hire a nanny, a caregiver—why come to me?”
His expression softened. “Because I know you, Linda. You have the heart for this. And I don’t know anyone else who does.”
The walls I had carefully built around myself trembled. I wanted to throw his words back at him, to tell him he had no right to ask this of me. But then, there was Ava.
The child I had once dreamed of having. The one Eric could never give me.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I whispered, my mind and heart warring. “But… I’ll think about it.”
Tom exhaled, his shoulders sagging with relief. “Thank you, Linda. That’s all I can ask for.”
The door clicked shut behind him, and I knew in that moment—nothing in my life would ever be the same again.
A few days later, I agreed to meet Tom. I told myself it was just to see Ava, to figure out if I could actually do this.
At the café, I watched the door anxiously. When Tom arrived, he wasn’t alone.
Ava walked beside him, her tiny fingers wrapped around his hand. She looked up at me with wide, curious eyes.
“Hi, Linda,” Tom said, guiding her into the seat across from me. “This is Ava.”
“Hello, Ava,” I said softly, my heart unexpectedly tightening. “I love your dress—you look like a fairy.”
She smiled shyly and gave me a tiny wave.
As Tom spoke about the challenges of raising her alone, my attention kept drifting to Ava. She was sweet, innocent, untouched by the pain that had existed between her parents.
Then, in a small voice, she asked, “Are you going to be my new mommy?”
I froze.
“I’m not sure yet, sweetie. We’re just spending time together right now.”
She nodded, satisfied, and returned to her toy. But my heart was in turmoil.
Could I really do this? Could I give Ava the love she needed while knowing Tom had only come to me out of desperation?
That night, a nagging feeling gnawed at me. Something about Tom’s urgency didn’t sit right. Why was he pushing this so hard?
I found myself standing in his office, my hands trembling as I pulled open a drawer slightly ajar.
And there it was.
Legal documents. An inheritance tied to Ava’s guardianship—one that Tom could only fully secure if he had a partner.
My stomach dropped.
This wasn’t about Ava. This was about money.
When Tom walked through the front door later, I was waiting. The documents were spread out on the coffee table like an accusation.
“Tom,” I said, my voice shaking, “were you ever going to tell me the truth?”
His face went pale. “Linda, it’s not what you think—”
“You used me,” I snapped, my hands clenching into fists. “You needed a legal loophole, not a mother for Ava.”
His silence was all the confirmation I needed.
I felt sick.
I grabbed my phone and dialed Eric, but it went straight to voicemail.
What if I’ve lost him too?
Panic clawed at my chest. Eric was the man who had loved me without conditions, without games. And I had pushed him away.
As the realization hit me, I turned on my heel and walked out the door.
I needed to fix this.
The taxi sped through the city, my fingers furiously typing messages to Eric.
I’m coming. I’m so sorry. Please, let me explain.
When the car finally pulled up outside his building, I saw him.
Eric stood in the rain, completely soaked, a bouquet of white roses in his hands—the kind he knew I loved.
I barely had time to step out before he spoke.
“I was hoping you’d come back,” he said softly.
Tears blurred my vision as I nodded. “I should have never left.”
He opened his arms, and I ran into them, the warmth of his embrace melting away the pain of the past.
Tom had been a chapter I had needed to close. But Eric—Eric was the future I was finally ready to embrace.
