I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Forgive her? For disappearing without a trace? For leaving me alone to raise our son?
‘Forgive you?’ I repeated. ‘Lisa, do you have any idea what you’re asking? Do you know what the last fifteen years have been like for me? For Noah?’
She looked down at the floor, avoiding my gaze. ‘I know. I know I’ve hurt both of you. But please let me explain.’
‘Explain,’ I said sharply. ‘Now.’
She took a deep breath and looked around nervously. ‘Not here,’ she said quietly, gesturing toward the shop entrance. ‘Follow me.’
She led me to the car park where a sleek black SUV was parked. It looked expensive, which was a far cry from the modest life we’d once shared.
As we approached her car, she turned to face me, tears glistening in her eyes
‘I didn’t mean to hurt you,’ she began. ‘I…I just couldn’t handle it.’
‘Handle what?’ snapped I snapped back, my patience wearing thin. ‘Being a mother? Being a wife? Living the life we built together?’
‘It wasn’t you, Brian,’ she cried. ‘It was me. I was scared. Scared of being a mother, of living from paycheck to paycheck, of never giving Noah the life he deserves. I felt like I was drowning.’
‘So you decided the best solution was to abandon us?’ I asked, raising my voice. ‘Do you have any idea what you put us through?’
Tears streamed down her face as she nodded.
‘I know, and I hate myself for it. I thought I was doing the right thing. I told myself I’d come back when I had something to give.’
‘Where have you been all these years?’ I asked.
‘I went to Europe,’ she replied, not meeting my gaze. ‘My parents helped me leave. They didn’t tell you because they thought you were holding me back. They never approved of our marriage. They didn’t like you.’
That’s when I started connecting the dots. Her parents had barely helped me care for Noah after she left. They didn’t even keep in touch for a long time.
‘I changed my name, went back to school and built a career,’ she continues, her voice shaking. ‘I’m a business consultant now, and I came back to this town because I wanted to see you and Noah. I never imagined I’d run into you in a supermarket. I-’
‘You wanted to see us?’ repeated I. ‘Really, Lisa? You think you can make things right by coming back into our lives?’
‘I have the money Noah needs to live a full life, Brian. I have enough money to give him everything he deserves.’
I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe Lisa thought she could just walk back into our lives with a bag of money and remorse.
‘Did you think your money was going to fix everything?’ – I asked. asked me.
‘No, I didn’t think it would fix everything, but I had to try. Please, Brian. At least let me see Noah.’
‘No,’ I said firmly, stepping back. ‘You have no right to break his life after fifteen years. You can’t rewrite the past because you finally decided to get a conscience.’
Her tears poured nonstop, but I didn’t care. All I could think about were the nights I’d been up with a crying baby, the years I’d struggled to make ends meet, and the countless times Noah had asked why his mum wasn’t around.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she whispered, her voice trailing off. ‘I didn’t know what else to do.’
‘And I do,’ I said, my voice cold. ‘Noah and I have moved on. We don’t need you anymore, Lisa.’
Without another word, I turned and walked away.
She kept begging me to stop, but I’d had enough. I couldn’t let her come into our lives and ruin everything.
Do you think I did the right thing? What would you do if you were me?