Six months passed.
\nMercy had almost forgotten what it felt like to wake up thinking about Daniel.
\nHer mornings now began with coffee, writing, and long walks before work. Therapy had become a habit instead of a necessity, and every chapter she finished on her novel reminded her that she was building a life that belonged to her alone.
\nThen, one Tuesday afternoon, her phone rang.|Daniel.
\nShe stared at the screen until it stopped.}
\nA second later, another call came.
\nThen another.
\nShe let every one of them go to voicemail.
\nThat evening, Lena looked at Mercy\u2019s phone and frowned.
\n\u201cHe\u2019s called fourteen times.\u201d
\nMercy shrugged.
\n\u201cHe lost the right to expect an answer.\u201d
\nThe next morning, there was a knock at her front door.
\nMercy opened it just enough to see Daniel standing on the porch.
\nHe looked different.
\nHis expensive suit had been replaced by faded jeans and a wrinkled jacket. Dark circles framed his eyes, and the confidence that had once filled every room was gone.
\n\u201cI know I shouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d he said quietly. \u201cPlease\u2026 just give me five minutes.\u201d
\nMercy kept one hand on the door.
\n\u201cI already gave you twelve years.\u201d
\nHis shoulders dropped.
\n\u201cI deserve that.\u201d
\nShe waited.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t come to ask you to take me back,\u201d he continued. \u201cI came because\u2026 I don\u2019t know who else to ask.\u201d
\nMercy felt nothing but caution.
\n\u201cWhat happened?\u201d
\nDaniel looked down at the ground for several seconds before speaking.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mercy looked toward the car.<\/p>\n
A little girl, no older than six months, sat quietly in her car seat, holding a stuffed rabbit.<\/p>\n
Daniel noticed where Mercy was looking.<\/p>\n
\u201cHer name is Sophie,\u201d he said softly.<\/p>\n
Mercy didn\u2019t answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know you don\u2019t owe me anything,\u201d Daniel continued. \u201cI\u2019m not asking you to forgive me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen why are you here?\u201d<\/p>\n
He took a deep breath.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily left.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercy\u2019s face remained unreadable.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said motherhood wasn\u2019t the life she wanted. Three weeks ago, she packed her things and walked out.\u201d<\/p>\n
He laughed bitterly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe irony isn\u2019t lost on me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercy folded her arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat irony?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI destroyed a woman who stood beside me for twelve years\u2026 for someone who couldn\u2019t stay twelve months.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence stretched between them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve spent every day thinking about what I did to you,\u201d Daniel said. \u201cBack then, I kept telling myself I deserved to be happy. I convinced myself that hurting you would be easier than telling you the truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
His voice cracked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mercy looked at him for a long moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t just break my heart, Daniel.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou broke my trust.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou made me question my own worth.\u201d<\/p>\n
Daniel lowered his head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Mercy replied quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know the words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t know what it felt like.\u201d<\/p>\n
The little girl began to cry again.<\/p>\n
Daniel excused himself and hurried to the car.<\/p>\n
Mercy watched through the doorway as he gently lifted the baby into his arms.<\/p>\n
He rocked her awkwardly, whispering until she settled against his shoulder.<\/p>\n
For just a moment, Mercy saw the man she had once fallen in love with.<\/p>\n
Not because he was perfect.<\/p>\n
But because she remembered the kindness he used to have before he made the worst decision of his life.<\/p>\n
Then she caught herself.<\/p>\n
Memories were not reasons to go backward.<\/p>\n
She closed the front door.<\/p>\n
Daniel stood alone on the porch, holding his daughter.<\/p>\n
A few seconds later, Mercy\u2019s phone buzzed.<\/p>\n
It was a message from Daniel.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not asking for another chance. I just need to tell you something I\u2019ve hidden for years. When you\u2019re ready\u2026 please let me explain.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Mercy stared at the screen.<\/p>\n Against her better judgment\u2026<\/p>\n She didn\u2019t delete the message.<\/p>\n To Be Continued\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Mercy stared at Daniel\u2019s message for two days.<\/p>\n She told herself to ignore it.<\/p>\n She almost did.<\/p>\n But curiosity has a quiet way of refusing to disappear.<\/p>\n Finally, she replied with four words.<\/p>\n \u201cOne hour. Public place.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n The following afternoon, they met at a small caf\u00e9 halfway across town.<\/p>\n Daniel arrived early.<\/p>\n He looked nervous.<\/p>\n Mercy sat across from him without smiling.<\/p>\n \u201cYou said there was something you\u2019ve hidden for years,\u201d she said. \u201cStart talking.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cI never planned to leave you when the affair started.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercy\u2019s expression hardened.<\/p>\n \u201cThat isn\u2019t making this better.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n He looked down at his coffee.<\/p>\n \u201cIt began as a mistake. Then Emily told me she was pregnant.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercy felt her chest tighten.<\/p>\n \u201cI panicked.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI convinced myself I had to be with the baby\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou didn\u2019t just convince yourself,\u201d Mercy replied. \u201cYou humiliated me on our anniversary.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel closed his eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo,\u201d Mercy said firmly. \u201cYou keep saying you know. You don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n Tears filled Daniel\u2019s eyes.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve replayed that flight in my head every single day. If I could erase one moment from my life, it would be hearing my own voice over that intercom.\u201d<\/p>\n For the first time, Mercy believed he truly regretted it.<\/p>\n But regret did not erase betrayal.<\/p>\n She stood.<\/p>\n \u201cIf that\u2019s all you wanted to say, we\u2019re done.\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel quickly reached into his jacket.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s one more thing.\u201d<\/p>\n He placed an envelope on the table.<\/p>\n \u201cI had a DNA test done.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercy frowned.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat does that have to do with me?\u201d<\/p>\n Daniel swallowed.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Emily left\u2026 she admitted something.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercy\u2019s heartbeat slowed.<\/p>\n Daniel pushed the envelope toward her.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been raising a child\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c\u2026who isn\u2019t mine.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercy looked at the sealed results but didn\u2019t touch them.<\/p>\n She searched Daniel\u2019s face for any sign of a lie.<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t one.<\/p>\n Her phone suddenly buzzed.<\/p>\n An unknown number.<\/p>\n She answered cautiously.<\/p>\n A woman\u2019s trembling voice came through the speaker.<\/p>\n \u201cIs this Mercy?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMy name is Emily.\u201d<\/p>\n There was a long pause.<\/p>\n \u201cI need to tell you the truth\u2026 before Daniel does.\u201d<\/p>\n Mercy\u2019s fingers tightened around the phone.<\/p>\nPART 6<\/h2>\n