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    Sienna’s POV


    Liam leaned down, nodding as Noah spoke to him animatedly. Emily stood on the other side of Noah, gently ruffling his hair with a soft smile-as if she had always been there. As if… I had never existed.


    The pain came like a wave, crashing from a direction I didn’t expect. I knew I was the one who left. I knew I was


    the one who chose silence. But seeing them like that, as though I had never been a part of their lives at all, made


    it hard to breathe.


    I had to leave. Right now.


    I was just about to stand when the sound of small footsteps approached from the side.


    “Sienna?”


    I turned in panic. Liliana stood there, eyebrows raised. “Why are you hiding like that? Are you trying to run away from me?”


    I motioned frantically with my finger to hush her. “Sshh… please, Liliana. Don’t be loud.”


    She frowned. “Why? What’s going on?”


    “Let’s go. Now,” I whispered urgently, grabbing my bag. “Please, Liliana. Now.”


    Liliana looked confused, but before she could ask more, a small voice sliced through the chaos in my chest.


    “Mommy!”


    I froze.


    That voice… Noah.


    My body turned slowly, and there he was-standing in the middle of the room, frozen in ce. His wide eyes filled with tears. And then, in seconds, he ran.


    “Mommyyyy!” he cried as his tiny feet hurried toward me. I opened my arms instinctively, and he flung himself into my embrace, clutching me tightly, like he was afraid I’d disappear again.


    “Why didn’t youe home? I waited for you, Mommy… You’re mean,” he sobbed against my chest.


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    My heart shattered. I stroked his back with trembling hands, fighting the tears pushing to the surface.


    “I’m sorry, baby. I’m so, so sorry…


    Heavy footsteps approached, and I didn’t need to look to know who stood behind us.


    “Sienna?”


    I looked up. Liam was just a few steps away, eyes wide in disbelief, as if he couldn’t believe I was really standing there. And me… I couldn’t speak. I didn’t know what to say.


    Emily stood a few paces behind him, watching us with an unreadable expression.


    I looked back down at Noah, still holding on to me like I might vanish again at any moment.


    His hug was so tight I could hardly breathe. But that wasn’t what hurt the most. What hurt was the truth: I shouldn’t be here. Not like this. Not meeting them again under these sudden, gut-wrenching circumstances.


    I wanted to close my eyes and hope this was all a dream. But the warmth of Noah’s body, the strength of his little arms, and the sharp, questioning gaze of Emily made it clear-this was real. Too real. And I wasn’t ready


    for it.


    way


    My world felt like it was crumbling slowly, piece by piece, as I realized nothing really goes back to the it was. Time moves forward, but it doesn’t heal everything. The wounds still remain. And the guilt still follows


    every step I take.


    Noah was still holding on to me. His tiny frame trembled-maybe from crying too long, or from the fear that I might disappear again. I held him tighter-as tightly as I could, as if I could somehow erase all the pain I had


    caused in the past week.


    I wanted to speak. I wanted to exin. I wanted to say I was sorry for leaving without a word. But the words caught in my throat. My tongue was numb. All I could do was let the tears slip silently onto Noah’s hair.


    From the corner of my eye, I saw Emily step closer. Her posture was straight, her face unreadable, but I could sense the storm beneath her calm exterior. Emily wasn’t one to explode, but she couldn’t fully hide her disappointment either.


    Liam stood nearby. His face was full of questions, but he remained quiet. And for that, I was thankful. Because if he started speaking now, I wasn’t sure I could hold myself together.


    Time seemed to freeze in that moment. Only the sound of the afternoon wind rustling through the trees outside


    11:15 AM Tue 2 Sep


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    and Noah’s soft, fading sobs filled the silence.


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    I knew I had to exin. But how? Where would I even begin? How do you exin that you love your child so deeply, it terrifies you? That you left not because you didn’t care, but because you cared too much—so much that you felt unworthy of standing beside him?


    My legs felt weak. I wanted to sit, but Noah wouldn’t let go. So I stayed standing, my body trembling, barely


    holding itself upright.


    Emily finally stopped just a few steps away from me. Our eyes met. No words were spoken-just a long gaze


    that held a thousand unspoken conversations.


    That look seemed to say: Why are you back now? Why didn’t you tell me? Do you think everything can just go


    back to normal just because you showed up again?


    I had no answer.


    Gently, I began to loosen my arms from the hug. Noah’s small hands tried to hold on, but I still turned away,


    intending to walk off without looking back.


    But I froze mid-step.


    A firm hand grabbed my wrist. I quickly turned around and met Liam’s gaze. His face, vivid in my mind, was a storm of surprise, confusion, anger… and heartbreak.


    “Where are you going?” His voice was low, barely above a whisper, but it cut through me like a de.


    I lowered my eyes, unable to answer. Liam’s hand still gripped mine tightly, as if afraid I would disappear again.


    But before I could say anything, a small hand reached up and held my other hand.


    “Mommy, don’t go again,” Noah said in a raspy voice still soaked in tears. “Please… I don’t want you to leave.”


    My heart dropped.


    I felt like the cruelest person alive. All I wanted was to escape-to protect myself… but they kept holding on.


    11:16 AM Tue 2 Sep