“A better man?” I suggested.

Her head shook again. “No, no. I can’t explain it, but leaving you was so wrong. I lost my job almost immediately after. I survived on my savings; my parents sent me some money, but they cut me off after a few months. The people I thought were my friends disappeared when I needed them most.”

I stared as she began sobbing. We could have gone through this together and emerged much stronger if she had believed in me… in our family.

“I miss you,” she croaked, sniffling. “I want to come back.”

I let her words hang in the air. Because no matter how bad I felt for her, I knew why she was saying those words.

“You miss me now that you have nothing,” I said as calmly as I could. “Convenient timing, don’t you think?”

Anna reached across the table, her hand hovering near mine. “David, please. I know I don’t deserve it, but I’ll do anything to make it right. I’ve been living in cheap apartments, hopping from one temp job to another. I’ve had time to think. I realize now what I lost.”

I pulled my hand back. “You didn’t think about Max and Lily, did you? In fact, you haven’t even mentioned them since I sat down.”

The more I thought of it, the more disgusted I felt.

She flinched like I’d slapped her. “I thought about them too. I just… I was ashamed. I didn’t know how to come back.”

I shook my head. “You made your choice, Anna. We’ve built a life without you. And it’s a good one. The kids are happy. I’m happy.”

“Please, David. Just give me a chance.”

“No,” I said. “You made this decision. Despite what you’ve gone through, I see you haven’t reflected. You’re just worried about yourself. My kids need someone who’ll put them first.”

That evening at dinner, my son was telling a story about a worm he found at school, and my daughter proudly showed me a picture she’d drawn.

But after tucking the kids to bed and going to my own room, I considered the consequences of walking away from their mother. A part of me knew that having her back in their lives could be beneficial in the long run.

Maybe, if she reached out and asked about them in the future, I would let her see them. If I could witness real change in her, though. For now, I had to protect them.

But life takes turns. I would focus on giving my children the secure, loving home they deserved and wait…