“But I gave him everything.”
“I know.”
“I waited seven years.”
“I know, my daughter.”
“He promised me.”
My mother’s eyes filled with tears.
“And he was wrong to make promises he did not intend to keep.”
She wiped my cheeks.
“You cannot change what he has done. But you can decide whether his actions will destroy the rest of your life.”
That night, I made a decision.
I would not beg Daniel to love me.
I would not compete with Vanessa.
And I would not allow my daughter to grow up believing that her mother’s worth depended on whether a man stayed.
It was easier to make that decision than to live by it.
There were mornings when I woke up feeling strong and evenings when loneliness swallowed me whole. I still checked my phone sometimes, hoping to see an apology.
I imagined Daniel realizing his mistake and returning to my door.
