“So… that’s it?” he whispered.
I didn’t answer.
His eyes drifted toward the staircase.
“Did the kids…” His voice caught. “Did they even ask about me?”
“Enjoy your vacation memories.”
I looked at him but said nothing.
The silence stretched between us.
After a moment, he lowered his head.
Only then did he sink into a dining chair.
Brenda reached for his shoulder, but for the first time, he shrugged her hand away.
“Enjoy your vacation memories,” I said quietly. “You’ll need to find somewhere else to sleep.”
I walked them to the door and closed it behind them. Then I climbed the stairs, peeked into the kids’ room, and listened to Ellie and Sam breathing softly in the dim afternoon light.
As I listened to my children sleeping peacefully upstairs, I realized I’d finally given them something I’d been trying to save for years. Not a perfect family, but a home where they would never have to wonder whether they came first.
