For one second, I almost understood.
Not the deception.
Not the sabotage.
But the desperation under it.
She told us Ryan’s father had made visitation difficult after their divorce.
She had been broke, young, and overwhelmed.
Calls went unanswered.
Meetings were canceled.
Eventually, she said, she stopped fighting.
“I made mistakes. But I did not wake up one morning and decide I didn’t want my son.”
Ryan’s face softened just enough for me to notice.
Then he said, “You always do this.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“You tell the part where somebody else made you leave.”
“Ryan…”
“You’re leaving out what happened after I found you.”
I looked at him.
Apparently, their first meetings had gone well.
Ryan had even considered inviting her to the wedding.
Then she started pushing.
She wanted to be introduced publicly as his mother.
She wanted a seat with the immediate family.
