Eventually, I stopped talking about Eli.
Because every conversation ended with Grant saying:
“He made his choice.”
Those words became a prison.
Now my son stood in my living room six years later.
And he was telling me I had never understood what happened.
“Do You Remember What Happened After?”
“I didn’t ask whether you remember the party,” Eli said.
“I asked whether you remember what happened afterward.”
“I found your note.”
“I know.”
“I searched for you.”
“I know that too.”
His voice cracked for the first time.
“I also know why you eventually stopped.”
My stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?”
Grant folded his arms.
“This is ridiculous.”
Eli ignored him.
“You stopped because he convinced you that I didn’t want to be found.”
“That is what your note said.”
“No.”
Eli shook his head.
“My note said not to look for me.”
He swallowed.
“It did not say I stopped loving you.”
