Eight Years After My Ex-Husband Called My Pregnancy a Lie, He Invited Me to Christmas to Meet His Fiancée. I Arrived at Cedarcrest Estate With Four Boys Who Had His Face.

Later, Adrian came inside with four freezing boys.

“Mom!” Samuel shouted.

“Look!”

He pulled something from his pocket.

A small wooden ornament.

“I made this.”

It was crooked.

The paint was terrible.

But underneath it were five names.

Mom. Dad. Ethan. Daniel. Noah. Samuel.

Five?

I looked at Adrian.

He smiled.

“I may have helped.”

I took the ornament.

For years, I had wondered whether my boys would ever know their father.

I had imagined this moment many times.

But I had never imagined it would happen beside a Christmas tree.

Page 9

Before we left Cedarcrest Estate, Adrian asked to speak with me.

He handed me an envelope.

“What is this?”

“Something I should have given you eight years ago.”

Inside was a letter.

I opened it.

It was dated the day after he left.

I read it silently.

He had written that he was confused.

That he was afraid.

That he loved me but didn’t know how to trust what he was being told.

He had never sent it.

I looked at him.