The next morning I drove home to find Sarah’s car in the driveway — and her mother’s parked at the curb. Inside, Sarah sat at the kitchen table, coffee trembling in her hands.
“Why don’t you want Paige in the wedding?” I asked quietly. “Why are you so against it?”
She stared out the window where her mother waited, then looked down at the table. When she spoke, her voice was barely a whisper. “I was hoping that after the wedding, you could just be a holiday‑visit dad.”
The words didn’t even register at first. “What did you just say?”
Her eyes met mine. “I didn’t want her in photos around the house if she wasn’t going to be there much. It would’ve been… confusing.”
Silence. Rage and disbelief collided in my chest. “You wanted me to give up custody?” My voice cracked.
“I thought once we started our life together, you’d let go a little,” she murmured.
“Let go?” I cut her off. “She’s not a habit to quit, Sarah. She’s my daughter. My world.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I didn’t mean it like that—”
“Yeah, you did.” I slipped the engagement ring from her finger and set it on the table with a quiet clink.
“Don’t do this,” she whispered. “We can fix this.”
“No,” I said. “You showed me who you are. And I believe you.”
She fled, slamming the door. Moments later her mother pounded on the wood, shouting that I was throwing away a “real future” for a child who would “leave me one day anyway.” I closed the door without a word.
That night Paige sat at the dining table coloring. She held up her drawing — two stick figures under a big red heart. My throat tightened.
“That’s perfect,” I said. Then gently, “Sweetheart, I need to tell you something.”
Her pencil paused. “Is it about the wedding?”
I nodded. “There isn’t going to be a wedding anymore.”
“Because of me?” she asked softly.
“No. Absolutely not. It’s because Sarah doesn’t understand how important you are to me. If someone can’t love both of us, they don’t deserve either of us.”
She whispered, “So it’s just you and me again?”
“Just us,” I said, smiling.
Her grin widened. “I like that better.”
I chuckled, feeling the weight lift. “Good. Because that honeymoon we booked? You and I are going instead — sun, sand, and all the ice cream you can eat.”
She shrieked with joy, throwing her arms around me. “Best honeymoon ever!”
I held her close. Sarah had wanted me to choose between being a husband and being a father. I made my choice without hesitation.
You can find another partner. You can’t replace your child.
As Paige pulled back, eyes shining, she whispered, “Daddy… it’s just you and me. Forever, right?”
I kissed her forehead and smiled. “Forever, kiddo. You and me — always.”
