What had he missed?
Laurel had never wanted the life they had. She wanted the world.
That night, after tucking Alice into bed, Kevin’s phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number.
“I know you saw it.”
It was Laurel.
Kevin’s chest tightened as he typed back, “Then why didn’t you just tell me?”
Her response came slowly. “Because I knew you’d try to stop me.”
And in that moment, everything changed. Kevin finally saw the truth. He could have begged. He could have fought. But for the first time, he realized…
Laurel didn’t want their life. She wanted something else. Something bigger.
And so, Kevin did what he never expected. He let her go.
Alice deserved a mother who actually wanted to be one. And Kevin? He deserved someone who didn’t see family as a burden.
The next day, they made waffles. Kevin poured syrup into a bowl as Alice kicked her feet, watching him with a sad smile.
“Mommy’s not coming back, is she?” Alice asked softly.
Kevin paused, his grip tightening on the syrup bottle. “No, sweetheart. She’s not.”
Alice traced patterns in the flour on the counter, her small voice quiet. “Did I do something wrong?”
Kevin knelt beside her, brushing her hair back. “No, honey. Never. Mommy leaving wasn’t about you. She had a dream. And she chose it. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t love you.”
Alice nodded. “Do you still love Mommy?”
Kevin hesitated. “I do. But I love you more.”
And just like that, the kitchen felt full again. The warmth of love and the sweetness of a father-daughter bond filling the space where everything else had once been missing.
