“I wasn’t thinking straight. I know it was wrong, I know I’ve hurt you and Jennifer, but it’s too late to take it back.”
“Darn right it’s too late,” I snarled. “You didn’t just hurt us, Kate.
You nearly destroyed us. You can’t just say you’re sorry and expect that to fix everything.”
Kate’s tears spilled over. She reached for my hand, but I pulled away.
“Don’t.” I stood and grabbed the folder. “The police are on their way. You need to face the consequences of what you’ve done.”
She gasped, her face going pale.
“Alex, no, please! Don’t do this—”
“You made your choices, Kate, and now you have to live with them.”
As I turned to leave, she started sobbing, but I didn’t look back. I couldn’t.
The weight of what she’d done was crushing enough without seeing the wreckage of her life, too. The days that followed were a blur. Kate was arrested, and Mila was stripped of her parental rights.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her, even though she’d played her part in this nightmare. But Lily was innocent, just a baby caught in a web of lies, and I knew I had to be there for her. When Jennifer showed up on my doorstep a few days later, eyes red from crying, I felt a mix of hope and fear.
She stepped inside, and we stood there in silence for what felt like forever before she finally spoke. “I’m sorry, Alex,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “I should’ve trusted you.
I should’ve believed in us.”
I pulled her into my arms, holding on like I’d never let go. “We both made mistakes,” I said, my voice thick with emotion. “But we can get through this.
Together.”
We spent hours talking, crying, and slowly, painfully, piecing back together what had been shattered. And in the middle of it all, there was Lily — our little light, our unexpected blessing. When Jennifer suggested we adopt her, it felt like the first truly right thing that had happened in a long time.
