My stomach twisted at the familiar cruelty of his family. “His mother always disliked me, so this changes nothing.”
“Please read the rest of the file,” Alyssa urged gently.
She showed me a bank-transfer receipt from six months after our divorce documenting a substantial payment to a private investigation firm.
Confused, I looked directly at Lucas. “What is this payment for?”
“I hired them to search for you,” Lucas confessed quietly.
“Why would you do that six months later?” I asked bitterly.
“Because I regretted everything,” he answered directly, offering no excuses. “After Alyssa rejected me, I realized I had destroyed my entire life chasing a ghost from my youth.”
A harsh laugh escaped me. “So you only missed me after she turned you down?”
“At first, yes,” he admitted painfully. “But then I began missing everything about you, from your architecture sketches to the quiet mornings we shared, and I realized I had lost the only real love I ever had.”
“That is a very moving story, Lucas,” I replied sarcastically.
“I am not trying to make myself look good,” he said softly. “I was an utter fool, Nora. I went back to our old home, but you were gone, and your old office said you had resigned.”
“I moved away to start over,” I told him.
“The investigator told me you had specifically requested privacy, so I stopped pursuing you,” he explained carefully.
“You stopped because it was convenient,” I corrected him sharply. “You could have written to my parents or reached out through legal channels, but you gave up as soon as it got difficult.”
Lucas squeezed his eyes shut, unable to challenge what I had said.
Suddenly, the apartment door opened behind us, and Mason appeared in the doorway. “Please come inside. I do not want you talking about my life out in the hallway.”
We quietly entered the living room. Alyssa excused herself shortly afterward, leaving Lucas, Mason, and me seated around the dining table.
Mason looked directly across at Lucas. “Are you really my father?”
Lucas swallowed hard, visibly shaken. “Yes, Mason, I am.”
“Why did you never come to see me all these years?” my son asked directly.
“Because I did not know you existed,” Lucas answered honestly. “And when I tried to look for your mother years ago, I gave up far too easily, which shows how selfish I was back then.”
Mason carefully considered the answer before asking another pointed question. “Did you leave my mom for that lady who was just here?”
“I thought I was still in love with her back then,” Lucas admitted openly.
“And did she love you back?” Mason pressed on.
“No, she did not,” Lucas answered painfully.
My son gave a slight shake of his head. “That was a really silly mistake to make.”
“It was the worst mistake of my life,” Lucas agreed softly.
“Do you want to act like my dad now?” Mason asked, studying his reaction closely.
“I want to get to know you,” Lucas explained gently. “However, I do not have the right to suddenly act like your father when your mother has done all the hard work for nine years.”
I looked at Lucas without the intense anger I had carried for so many years, respecting the honesty of his admission.
“Are you going to buy me expensive things now?” Mason asked curiously.
“I will provide whatever you need, but I will not try to buy your affection,” Lucas promised.
“Will you come to my school competitions?” my son continued.
“I will be there every single time you invite me,” Lucas answered without hesitation.
