Only acknowledgment.
I had once believed losing Claire happened in a single night at Vanessa’s apartment.
It had not.
I lost her in every unanswered message, every unopened folder and every room where I made her feel alone while standing beside her.
The divorce merely placed a date on the damage.
I could not rewrite those years.
I could not demand the title of father from a child who had learned to live without me.
I could not buy Claire’s forgiveness or turn regret into innocence.
I could only become someone who arrived when he said he would.
So when Elias looked back from the doorway and waved, I did not reach for my phone or check the time.
I stood exactly where he could see me, and I waved until he was gone.
