If I had… maybe things would be different. But Daniel, you must understand—teenage love is just a memory. Right now, Sophia and the baby need a family.”
I laughed bitterly.
His words pierced me like a blade.
The next day, Sophia came to find me. Her voice trembled, her eyes searching mine.
– Daniel… I’m sorry.
I know you cared for me once, but we were too young. I cared for you too, but I never thought we’d have a future. Life took its path, and somehow, it led me to your father.
I never meant to hurt you. I clenched my fists, my throat tight:
– You say you didn’t want to hurt me, yet you chose my dad. Do you know how unbearable that is?
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she wrapped her arms protectively over her swollen belly. Watching her, I felt torn—anger and pity colliding inside me. That night, I opened the old drawer where my mother’s last letter was kept.
Her familiar handwriting read:
– “Daniel, I only hope you live with kindness, learn to love, and cherish your family. If one day your father remarries, please forgive him. Don’t let him grow old alone.”
My tears soaked the paper.
My heart cracked, yet her words gave me strength. On the wedding day, I stood outside the gate. Dad wore a modest suit.
Sophia, in a flowing white dress, gently rested her hands on her belly. My chest twisted painfully. I wanted to storm in, to shout “No!” But my feet were rooted to the ground.
Instead, I left a letter at the door:
“I can’t bless this, but I can’t hate you either. I’m leaving now. I hope you find happiness.”
Turning away, I walked down the road.
Behind me, the wedding music rose, each note pressing down on my heart like stone. My youth, my family. Everything collapsed in that single moment.
