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    Liam’s POV


    Noah nodded firmly. “Yes. I told Teacher that I have a mommy who’s beautiful, smart, and likes to write stories. Then Teacher gave me blue paper. That’s Mommy’s favorite color, right?”


    I could only stare at him. A subtle tremor stirred in my chest, something I couldn’t put into words. Sometimes, I forgot how deeply Noah missed Sienna. Even though he didn’t often say her name, I knew that longing never truly left him.


    Noah kept munching on the candy in his hand, while I just sat there watching his every move. How simple the world seemed


    through a child’s eyes. He couldugh so freely over a piece of candy or a sheet of drawing paper, as if nothing bad had ever really happened. But I knew, deep down in his still-pure heart, there was an empty space he kept carefully hidden. A space shaped like


    his mother.


    I leaned back slightly against the sofa, letting my body rx after such a long day. But my mind wasn’t at ease. The image of


    Sienna’s face lingered, mingling with the sound of Noah speaking the word “Mommy” with such certainty. A part of me felt shattered every time I realized he was growing up without truly having her around. I had tried my hardest to fill every space, every moment, but I knew I could never rece her.


    On hisp, Noah pulled out a folded sheet of paper he had tucked inside his little bag. The cars he said he had drawn earlier looked


    simple, filled with uneven lines and shing colors. But in the middle of those scribbles, there was another figure: a woman with long hair, big round eyes, and a blue dress. I knew, even without him exining, who it was he had drawn.


    The feeling came like a wave. A mix of joy and pain all at once. Joy, because Noah still kept his mother in his heart, still saw Sienna


    as someone beautiful and important. Pain, because reality said otherwise: he could only meet her through drawings, not in real


    embraces.


    I looked at the little face beside me, so absorbed with his candy and colored paper. There was a spark of spirit in his eyes, as if the world he created on the page was far more real than the one around him. I knew imagination was his way of surviving. And for that, I was grateful. Because at least it gave him a way to hold onto what I could not give him.


    The sound of the television in front of us filled the living room with the nightly news I hardly paid attention to. I just let the screen stay on, more for extra light than entertainment. My focus remained on Noah, on the way he sometimes chuckled to himself when he found the right color for his little airne.


    Noah reached into his small bag and pulled out a bright yellow envelope.


    “Oh, right! This!” he eximed. “Invitation!”


    I took the envelope from him and opened it slowly. Inside was pastel-colored paper with childlike handwriting and a small kindergarten logo at the top. An invitation to a kindergarten graduation? Next week?


    I read each line carefully. There was the program schedule, a note for the parents, and at the bottom, a reminder for the attendance of both mother and father. Instantly, a smile spread across my face.


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    A reason. Now I had a strong reason to see Sienna again.


    I gently stroked Noah’s head. “Do you want Daddy toe to this event?”


    “Of course! Daddy and Mommy, right? Both of youe?” His eyes shone with hope.


    I gave a small nod. “Daddy will try. Daddy will talk to Mommy.”


    He immediately cheered and hugged me again. “Yay! I want to show you my new dance! I’ve been practicing at school!”


    I smiled, but behind the smile, my thoughts began to drift. Tomorrow, I would see Sienna. Somehow, whether she let me in or not,


    I had to talk to her about this. About Noah. About that separation. This wasn’t about us. This was about our child.


    And even though earlier she seemed so determined to keep her distance, I knew deep down Sienna could never refuse to be there


    for Noah. She loved him too much.


    I rose slowly and let Noah tear open another packet of snacks, bouncing happily on his little sofa. I walked into my room and ced the invitation on the table. Then I sat at the edge of the bed for a moment, letting my thoughts arrange themselves into a


    n.


    Tomorrow, I would bring that invitation with me. I wouldn’te with demands orints. I woulde as Noah’s father, and sincerely ask that we stand together beside our son on his important day.


    But more than that… I wanted Sienna to know she didn’t have to carry everything alone. That I still wanted to be present in their


    lives.


    I looked at the invitation once more, then let a faint smile tug at my lips.


    11:22 AM Tue 2 Sep