- “Miss your wife and daughter, don’t you?” she asked, a knowing smile on her lips.
Michael sighed.
- “Yeah, I was awful to Sarah. I want to make it right.”
Rosa nodded, pulling out a notepad and jotting down a number.
- “Call her. But mean what you say.”
Michael thanked her and hurried home. Sitting at the kitchen table, he dialed Sarah’s number, sweat beading on his forehead. Her voice answered, cautious.
- “Hello?”
- “Sarah, it’s Michael.”
- “What do you want?” she asked, guarded.
- “I was wrong,” he said. “I’m so sorry for how I acted. I know why Emily looks like Henry now. He’s my father. Clara told me.”
Sarah paused, then spoke.
- “I didn’t know much about you, Michael. You were a different person then. I can’t go back to that.”
His heart sank.
- “But I want to see Emily. I’ll change for you both.”
- “You can see her anytime,” Sarah said coolly. “But I’ve built a good life here in the city.”
- “Sarah, please,” he pleaded. “You kicked a three-month-old into the cold, dark night. I’m doing fine without you.”
The call ended, and Michael sat in silence, the weight of his loss crushing him. Sarah was gone for good, but he resolved to fight for Emily, to build a bond with Henry, and to become a better man for those he loved.