But I couldn’t.
My baby needed me.
She needed to eat.
She needed comfort.
She needed to be held.
She needed a mother who could wake up every morning and keep moving forward even while her heart was breaking.
I couldn’t undo Caleb’s affair.
I couldn’t erase what his mother helped him hide.
And I wasn’t going to spend the little strength I had left trying to convince myself that betrayal was something I should simply learn to live with.
My daughter was my priority now.
If single motherhood was the life waiting for me, then I would face it.
I knew there would be days when I would feel exhausted, frightened, and overwhelmed.
But none of that scared me as much as raising my daughter in a home where lies were tolerated in the name of keeping a family together.
I kissed the top of her head and held her closer.
