When Owen had a doctor’s appointment on my day, I went.
When he cried at two in the morning, there was no hotel room to escape to.
No assistant.
No flowers.
Just me.
It didn’t fix my marriage.
Doing the right thing after consequences arrive does not create a debt other people owe you.
Corinne never promised to come back because I became more present.
She never said good job when I did basic things a father should do.
She also never used Owen to punish me.
Over time, our conversations became less hostile.
Eventually, almost normal.
Eight months after I came home with the roses, the divorce became final.
We left the courthouse separately.
It had rained then.
The sidewalk shone beneath a gray sky.
For a while, neither of us spoke.
Then I said, “I’m sorry.”
She gave me a tired smile.
“You’ve said that.”
