On my birthday, instead of waiting for my husband and son to come home to celebrate with me, I received a video from my husband’s first girlfriend. In the video, my husband and my son were with her. My son was hugging her, saying he wished she could be his mother. After seeing that, instead of calling him to confront him, I silently packed my suitcase and signed the divorce papers.

It was unusual for my husband, Dominic, to come home at midnight and find the house completely dark. No matter what time it was, I always left a light on for him. That night, he handed our son, Grayson, over to the housekeeper and went straight to the master bedroom. I was sitting on the sofa, a carefully packed suitcase by my side and the divorce agreement on the coffee table in front of me.

Dominic frowned. “Paisley, what is this? Another one of your dramatic episodes?”

I didn’t have the strength for his criticism. My voice came out calm and firm. “I want a divorce.”

His face showed disbelief. “Why? Because I forgot your birthday?”

“It doesn’t matter,” I replied, pushing the divorce agreement toward him. “Sign it. Let’s end this.”

He flipped through the pages mockingly. “You’re leaving empty-handed. Where will you go without me?” A bitter laugh escaped my lips. He was so sure he had me trapped, thinking I had no one in Herafell and nothing to hold on to.

I pushed the papers even closer. “Sign it. Don’t waste time.”

For a moment, he hesitated, then his voice hardened. “Fine. A divorce it is. But Grayson’s custody is not negotiable. You won’t get him.”

Suddenly, Grayson appeared, looking at me with tears streaming down his cheeks. “I’m staying with Dad! I don’t want to go with you! You’re a horrible mother! A witch!”

“That’s enough, Grayson!” Dominic snapped, but Grayson’s rage didn’t subside.

“If you hadn’t gotten in the way of Dad and Marissa, she’d be my mom now!”

I cut through the tension with that same cold voice. “I don’t care, Grayson. I don’t care about anything. I just want the divorce.”

That word left Dominic in silence. He clenched his jaw, his eyes darkening with frustration. “Are you sure about this?”

I tossed the pen onto the table. “Sign it. Let’s end this.” Dominic’s frustration gave way to a flicker of doubt. Before he could sign, I grabbed my copy, took my suitcase, and headed for the door.

“Tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. sharp. At City Hall. Don’t be late,” I said without hesitation. Just as I was about to walk out, Dominic grabbed my wrist tightly.

“Let go,” I said coldly.

He sneered. “In such a rush to leave? You already have someone else waiting.”

I looked him straight in the eyes. “Dominic, I have never disliked you more than I do right now.” His grip loosened, and before he could say anything else, I grabbed my suitcase and left. I felt the door shut behind me, like the sound of my freedom.

The airport was bustling as I prepared to board the flight. Just before I crossed the boarding gate, my phone vibrated. I answered without checking the caller ID. It was Grayson’s voice, sharp and desperate, asking me for something trivial. I stayed calm and told him to ask Marissa. His whining grew louder, and then I heard Dominic’s irritated voice. “Paisley, why are you arguing with a child?”

I was already boarding the plane, unmoved. “If a child doesn’t understand, then the adult should. Don’t you think?” As the plane took off, the city shrank beneath my feet. It was over. I had left everything behind.

Four years later, I returned to Herafell. This time, for a meeting in the hospital director’s office. Jonathan, the director, greeted me with a smile. We briefly talked about my experience and my work. Before he could convince me to take on a class, my phone vibrated. I quickly told him I had something urgent to deal with and stepped out.

A few minutes later, in the elevator, I saw him. The Vanderbilt heir, accompanied by a woman. It was Dominic, with Marissa. I smiled bitterly. He had accused me of being paranoid, insisting there was nothing between them. But there they were, about to get married. He had never publicly acknowledged me as his wife.

The elevator bell rang, announcing we had reached the ground floor. As the doors opened, I came face-to-face with Dominic. He had an imposing presence, and his gaze was piercing. “Excuse me,” I said coldly, walking past him without another glance.

He grabbed my wrist, demanding an explanation for why I disappeared for four years. I pulled away from his grip. “I gave up my son, Dominic. What right do you have to demand anything from me?” A car honked near the entrance, and before I could move, a man called my name. I felt Dominic tighten his grip on my wrist. “Paisley, who is he?” he asked harshly.

The echo of my heels against the hospital’s marble floor blended with the subtle ticking of the wall clock. The third-floor reception area was nearly deserted. I was only there to pick up a folder with the new medical training schedule. Just another day. Then, I saw him.

He was standing by the coffee machine, taller than I remembered, with a teenage face that still held traces of the child I had once held in my arms. Grayson. My heart skipped a beat.

He saw me. His eyes—Dominic’s eyes—pierced through me with a slow, painful recognition. His body tensed. He didn’t say a word. Neither did I. For several long seconds, we stood motionless, sharing the same air like strangers trapped in a frozen scene. The pain etched on his face was almost tangible. He stepped back.

“Do you work here?” he asked bluntly, his voice deep and rough, filled with a disappointment that hurt more than any insult.

“I work here,” I replied, my voice steady but soft. “And you? Visiting someone?”

He scoffed, as if my question was ridiculous. “Of course. My mother.”

Before I saw her, I heard the tapping of her heels. Marissa appeared around the corner with the confidence of someone who rehearses every entrance. She wore a navy-blue blazer that screamed “perfect wife.” Grayson visibly relaxed as she placed a possessive hand on his shoulder.

“What an unexpected meeting,” she said, looking at me as if I were a forgotten object. “I didn’t think I’d run into you here, Paisley. Still in Herafell?”

“Yes,” I replied, keeping my composure.

“Oh, you know,” she continued, her smile venomous, “taking care of things. Being the woman Dominic deserved from the start.”

Grayson looked at me, and for a second, he almost seemed to hesitate.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, looking at him. He looked away.

Marissa stepped forward. “You know what’s funny?” she said. “Some mothers are replaceable. Others are simply forgotten.”

“The funny thing is,” I replied in a sharp murmur, “some women confuse manipulation with motherhood.”

“Grayson,” she called, ignoring my response, “let’s go get the car. Your father’s waiting.” They walked away, but just before turning the corner, Grayson looked back for a brief second and lowered his gaze.

I turned to leave, and then I stopped. Dominic was standing next to a marble column, arms crossed, his face partially hidden. The same dark suit, the same calculated expression, but something in his eyes was different—darker, heavier.

“Are you enjoying yourself?” I asked indifferently.

He took a step forward. “Four years, and you just show up. You didn’t even talk to him.”

“He talked to me,” I said. “He told me you taught him to forget me. Congratulations, it worked.”

“You ran away,” he said through clenched teeth. “You disappeared like he meant nothing.”

“Don’t come to me talking about what matters, Dominic. You never gave me that right.” He blinked slowly, as if my words had wounded him.

“And your new companion?” he asked, referring to the man by the car. “Who is he? Another one of your secrets?”

“It’s none of your business.”

Jonathan’s voice cut through the tension. “Everything all right?” he asked, approaching with a concerned smile.

“Now it is,” I answered.

Dominic examined him with the gaze of a predator. “Jonathan,” he said, extending his hand stiffly. “Dominic Vanderbilt.”

“I know who you are,” Jonathan replied, shaking his hand without smiling.

“I was showing Dr. Paisley around the hospital,” Jonathan clarified, emphasizing the word ‘Doctor’ as a subtle reminder. “We’re negotiating a potential hire.”

Dominic stepped back slightly, narrowing his eyes. “Of course. She’s always been great at running from the hardest problems. Even from her own family.”

“Dominic,” I murmured, a warning in my tone.

He smiled, that smile he wore when he wanted to make someone hurt without touching them. “I’m glad to see you, Paisley. Really.” And then he walked away.

“That’s your ex?” Jonathan asked.

I nodded. “He still doesn’t realize I left. I think he’s about to find out the hard way.”

Outside, the breeze was sharp. The hospital’s large window reflected the golden afternoon light. I stood there, watching the black car in the distance. Marissa got in first. Grayson hesitated, his hand on the door handle, but he looked back. He saw me. Our eyes met through the glass. There was no rage, no love, just something new. Maybe doubt. Maybe memory. In the end, he got into the car.

Later that day, I heard unmistakable footsteps behind me in a quiet hospital corridor. Expensive shoes. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

“Now you always leave through the back door?” Dominic’s voice broke the silence.

I closed my locker without answering and started walking. He followed me. “I just want to talk.”

“Conversations between us always end in reproach or accusations,” I replied.

“This time, I didn’t stop,” he said. I looked at him. His face looked more tired than I remembered, but on his lips was still that smirk.

“Dinner,” he offered. Just that one word.

“Dominic, it makes no sense. We’re nothing now.”

“Maybe that’s why it makes more sense than ever. You owe me at least an explanation. Why did you leave like that? Why didn’t you ever come for Grayson?”

I closed my eyes. “One dinner. 7:30,” I said without hesitation. “But if you ask even one wrong question, I’ll get up and leave.” He smiled. I couldn’t tell if it was defeat or victory.

The restaurant was the same. The same amber lamps, the same soft music, the same scent of fresh bread and herbs. Nothing had changed, except me. Dominic was already seated, a glass of red wine poured for him and another one empty, waiting for me.

“For coming,” he said, raising his own. He clinked his glass against mine, but I didn’t toast.

“Talk. I’m listening.”

He studied me closely. “The wedding with Marissa has been postponed,” he said suddenly.

“Postponed or canceled?”

He shrugged. “We’re still deciding.”

I laughed without humor. “Funny. I thought you’d already decided everything for me. And for Grayson.”

“Do you still care?”

“Does it matter?” He leaned forward. “I’m not here to argue, Paisley.”

“Then what for? To pretend you didn’t disrupt everything?”

His jaw tightened. “You know, Marissa showed up after we were already broken. You were distant, and I used that to find emotional comfort.”

“You’ve always had a talent for justifying your actions,” I said.

“And you’ve always had a talent for running before hearing the explanation.”

My wine glass remained untouched. The food arrived, but neither of us touched our plates. Dominic looked down, speaking softly. “He doesn’t ask about you. But sometimes, I hear him murmuring your name in his sleep. Once, he even screamed it.”

I closed my eyes. “Don’t tell me that. Don’t use him now.”

“I’m just telling you the truth, Paisley. You were everything to him, and it all fell apart. With videos, with arguments, with replacements…” His voice trailed off. “I resented you for a long time,” he said. “But I resent even more that I can’t get you out of my head.”

The tension intensified until someone cleared their throat beside us. It was Jonathan. “What a surprise,” he said, looking from Dominic to me. He looked at Dominic. “Funny seeing you here. I thought you were in Paris with your fiancée.”

Dominic gave a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Plans change.”

“Some people don’t,” Jonathan noted, walking away.

After a long silence, I finally spoke. “It was just dinner, just a conversation. And it meant nothing.”

“It did mean something,” I replied, my voice steady. “It proved to me that I was right to leave.” I turned and took three steps toward the door. Then, I stopped and looked back. He was still sitting there, the food untouched, the wine half-full, surrounded by the memory of what we once were. For the first time, Dominic looked small. I walked away.

The doorbell rang at 7:47 p.m. sharp. I looked through the peephole and didn’t recognize him at first. But then I saw it clearly: the tense shoulders, the hesitant eyes under the hood. I opened the door.

“Grayson.”

He hesitated, then stepped into the scent of my home: ginger tea, old books, silence. “I didn’t think you’d open.”

“I never thought you’d knock.” He dropped his backpack on the floor.

“Marissa yelled at me. She said I was ungrateful. Just because I asked her the real reason you left. She said you ran off with another man. But I heard Dad say something different.”

“What did you hear?”

“That it was him who sent that video. The one on your birthday.” I held my breath. “He said he wanted to open my eyes, that you were unstable. But now, I don’t know who was right anymore. I don’t understand why you left without saying anything.”

“I was nine,” he said, his voice cracking as he sank onto the sofa. “I really disliked you then. And still… I always wondered if it was all a lie.”

“I saw that video, Grayson. On my birthday. Alone. No cake, no candles.” He looked at me, unblinking. “I saw you hugging the woman who took my husband from me. I heard you say you wished she was your mother.”

“I was just a kid. I barely remember it.”

“But it hurt me so much I couldn’t look you in the eyes. I got on a plane and ran away because I didn’t know how to face that pain.”

He lowered his gaze. “Do you resent me?”

“No. I only resented myself for believing I was irreplaceable.”

His eyes welled up. “Then why didn’t you come back?”

“Because you called me a witch.” He swallowed hard, clearly affected. And I was glad he felt it. Sometimes, pain means growth.

“I’m really sorry,” he whispered.

“I just needed a mother who stayed.”

“And I needed a son who called.”

There was silence. “And now?” he asked.

“Now, we’re here. And that’s more than I thought we’d have.”

Loud knocks echoed at the door. “I’ll get it,” said Grayson. When he opened it, Marissa appeared, flawless makeup and a smile that never reached her eyes. “Grayson, goodness, I was so worried! Your father is desperate looking for you.”

“I know,” he replied, not moving from the doorway. She tried to come in, but he didn’t step aside.

“What are you doing here?” Marissa asked, her smile cracking when she saw me.

“He came to hear the truth,” I replied.

Marissa turned to Grayson. “Her truth? She abandoned you! I was there, I raised you!”

“You trained me,” Grayson said, his voice gaining strength. “You trained me to resent her, and it worked for a while. But you know what else you did?” She fell silent. “You taught me what it means to manipulate someone. Thanks for that.” He looked at her, his voice shaking. “Leave, Marissa. Now.”

For the first time, she actually left.

When Dominic arrived, the door was already open. “I came to get my son,” he said in the quietest voice I’d ever heard from him.

“He’ll leave when he wants to,” I replied. Grayson didn’t move.

“Did you tell him the truth?” Dominic asked.

“I told him enough.” I sighed. “I disrupted everything, Paisley. You always thought you could control everything. Even emotions.”

He took a step forward. “I still love you.”

“I still remember you,” I said. “But it’s not the same.”

Dominic lowered his eyes. “What if…”

“Dominic,” I cut him off. “What we had is in the past. It won’t bloom again. Sometimes, love just isn’t enough.”

He nodded in defeat. “Take care of him,” he whispered.

“Now, he gets to choose who takes care of him.”

Dominic left without looking back. Night fell slowly. The silence no longer felt heavy; it was comforting. Grayson was washing his mug in the kitchen.

“Can I stay a few days?”

“Of course,” I said, nodding softly.

“We could watch a movie,” he suggested. “We could do everything we didn’t do before.” He gave me a small, genuine smile.

We sat on the couch together. He held the remote, I sat with my legs crossed. No one spoke as the credits rolled, but we were there. For the first time in a long time, we were there, together.