I knew she had stayed back then because leaving would have felt selfish to her. Because she believed love was enough to keep her there. When we finally divorced, part of me was relieved. It meant I couldn’t hurt her any further. It meant she had finally chosen herself.
After the divorce, I wouldn’t lie—there were plenty of opportunities to start something new with someone else. But even the thought of it made me sick. It felt wrong, like I was betraying her all over again.
I still wanted her so much, but I didn’t even dare to hope she would ever come back to me. The fact that she could look at me without disgust, that alone had been enough. If nothing else, I wanted us to be able to co-parent Haille well, even if we were never meant to be anything more.
It wasn’t me giving up. It wasn’t because I had stopped loving her. It was because I couldn’t bear being the cause of her pain.
That was why, every time I saw her, I paid attention to the smallest things—the way she looked at me, whether there was still hurt there, whether my presence still weighed on her.
But after months of talking—of finding our way back into each other’s lives in smaller, quieter ways—hope had found its way back.
And maybe… I could finally have that again.
—?—
My thoughts scattered the moment the plane touched down.
After clearing immigration, I finally stepped through the sliding doors, my eyes already scanning the waiting area.
Then I saw them, and everything else faded into background noise.
Elena stood a little away from the crowd, steady as ever, one hand holding Haille’s. There was something new in the way she stood there. Strangely, I understood it without her saying a word.
And for the first time in a long while, I didn’t wonder if I had a place in her life. I knew I did.
“DADDYYYYY!” Haille broke free instantly, her laughter cutting through everything as she ran toward me.
I barely had time to react before she ran straight into me, her arms wrapping around my neck as I crouched down to meet her, catching her easily.
She smelled exactly the same, and I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed that until it was right there again.
When I looked up, Elena was already walking toward us, her eyes never leaving mine.
I straightened, lifting Haille into my arms and adjusting her on my hip as I reached for my suitcase and moved toward Elena, closing the distance that had existed for far too long.
We met somewhere in the middle.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hi,” she said. “Welcome home.”
That was all it took.
Haille shifted, looking from me to Elena with that bright, curious expression like she was making sure we were both exactly where we were supposed to be.
“I came with mommy,” she announced proudly.
I let out a quiet breath, something in my chest settling into place without effort.
“Yeah,” I said, my gaze still on Elena. “I see that.”
I did.
Not just that she was here, but that she had chosen to be.
And this time, I wouldn’t waste that choice.
EPILOGUE
