Chapter 1
My husband never loved me.
And he sure as hell didn’t love our kid.
The day our son was born, he didn’t even look at him.
Just dumped him in my arms and walked away.
Then one day, she came back.
The woman he never stopped loving.
That night, for the first time ever, he got drunk at home.
He even smiled–actually smiled–as he held our son in his arms.
Our little boy threw his arms around Damien’s neck and whispered to me,
“Mom, what’s wrong with Uncle Damien?”
I crouched down and pulled him into a hug, my eyes burning.
“Sweetheart… Uncle Damien’s special someone came back.
e shouldn’t stay here anymore.
t’s time for us to leave.”
After tucking my son into bed, I headed back to the guest room.
Opened my laptop and started drafting the divorce papers.
This was our seventh year of marriage.
And our seventh year living apart.
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At Parent–Teacher Night, My Husband Took Another Boy’s Seat
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Chapter 1
It was finally time to let him go.
Knock, knock.
I looked up.
My seven–year–old son stood in the doorway, clutching his toy airplane.
“Mom… are we really moving out?”
His eyes were full of worry.
“But Uncle Damien held me tonight.
Does that mean he’s starting to like me?”
I froze.
For a second, I didn’t know what to say.
Seven years.
And Damien never once let our son call him Dad.
When Lucian was two, Damien took him to the grocery store.
On the way, they ran into someone he knew.
Lucian accidentally called him Dad in front of them.
Right there on the sidewalk, Damien set our barely–walking toddler on the ground…
and told him to walk home.
By the time we got back, Lucian’s knees and palms were covered in scrapes.
When he was four, he begged for weeks to go to the amusement park with Damien.
Finally, Damien agreed.
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At Parent Teacher Night, My Husband Took Another Boy’s Seat
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Chapter 1
But when Lucian blurted out another innocent Dad, Damien let go of his hand.
He lost our son in the crowd.
We found him hours later, curled up and sobbing in a hedge.
Could barely breathe from crying so hard.
After that, Lucian learned to call him Uncle.
And our so–called “family” became a joke.
The memory stung.
I pulled Lucian into a tight hug.
“Lucian, Uncle Damien’s person is coming back.
We can’t stay here anymore.”
His face fell.
But then he held out the toy airplane to me, eyes wide.
“But Mom, Uncle Damien gave me this tonight.
If he didn’t like me… why would he give me a gift?”
He was trying so hard to prove he was loved.
That he mattered to his father.
I opened my mouth.
But nothing came out.
What was I supposed to say?
That Damien was only happy because she was back?
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At Parent Teacher Night, My Husband Took Another Boy’s Seat
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Chapter 1
That the toy wasn’t from him–it was from the woman he actually cared about?
I couldn’t do it.
So I swallowed the truth.
Like I always did.
And gave my son a smile that barely held together.
I kissed his forehead and wiped my tears where he couldn’t see.
A mother’s love means lying through your heartbreak…
just to protect your child.
Fighting the lump in my throat, I asked gently,
“Lucian, if Mommy wanted to leave Uncle Damien… would you come with me?”
His little shoulders tensed.
Then he whispered,
“Can we… not go yet?”
“I never got to call him Dad. Not even once.”
My chest tightened.
I bit my lip to hold back the tears.
“Lucian… Uncle Damien doesn’t want us here.”
“How about Mommy takes you somewhere we’ll be wanted, okay?”
He pulled his hands back and hugged the toy airplane to his chest.
He was quiet for a long time.
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At Parent Teacher Night My Husband Took Another Boy’s Seat
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Then he said,
“Can we give Uncle Damien three more chances?
If he still doesn’t like us…
then we’ll go. For good.”
I closed my eyes.
And nodded.
“Okay.”
Damien,
My son and I are giving you three chances.
Just three.
After that…
you’re no longer part of our family.
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