“She… I…” He shakes his head. “When she told me she was pregnant… I just did what I thought was right, you know?”
I nod. That’s Asher. He doesn’t run from anything.
“Then Liam was born, and I was over the moon… a son.Myson…” A faint smile pulls at his mouth, but it doesn’t last. “She wasn’t…”
He drags a hand over his face, the movement slow, heavy.
“Doctors said it was postpartum depression. She couldn’t… didn’t want to pick him up, feed him, hold him. So I stepped in, gave her space, thought time would fix it, but the more Liam grew, the clearer it got.”
He exhales slowly, staring past the bar.
“He’d smile, laugh… and she tried to feel something, I could see it, but it just wasn’t there.”
His fingers tighten slightly around the bottle.
“First steps, first words… every milestone hit me like a damn wave.” He swallows. “She’d just nod… then go back to whatever made her feel like herself again.”
He takes a long pull of his beer before continuing.
“Yesterday, before we were supposed to leave for your parents’ anniversary, she told me she couldn’t attend because she wasn’t feeling well, so I came alone with Liam.” I nod, remembering seeing Asher sitting alone with his son. “When I came home last night… she was standing by the door, suitcases packed, papers in her hand.”
A hollow breath leaves him.
“I never thought I’d be divorced. Swore I wouldn’t end up like my parents… and here I am.”
I rest a hand on his shoulder.
“Did she tell you why?”
A humorless laugh slips out.
“She said…” He swallows. “‘I thought Liam would make you love me… but you never really did, did you?’”
He finishes his beer and gestures for another, and I pour it without a word.
“What did you say?”
His gaze stays on the glass like he’s still standing in that moment.
“Nothing at first… because I couldn’t lie to her.” His voice lowers. “Couldn’t tell her I loved her when I didn’t.” He takes another sip of his beer.
“I tried, God knows I tried to feel something, but…” He shakes his head and sighs. “I couldn’t feel more than friendship and respect for the woman who gave me Liam.”
A pause stretches between us.
“I married her because she’s Liam’s mother, and I didn’t want my son to grow up in two households like I did.” He shakes his head.
“She looked at me for a long second… then nodded, like she already knew.” Another pause. “Then she handed me the papers.”
“What about Liam?”
He meets my eyes.
“She left him too. Said she tried to be a good mother, but she never felt it. Said I was the better parent.” He exhales. “Said she couldn’t be happy here. With us.”
Something shifts in his voice. It’s not anger. Just… loss.
I squeeze his shoulder. “I’m sorry, man. Where’s Liam now?”
