At home, the kids were waiting. I crouched down and hugged each of them in turn. Rose clung to me a little longer.
“Is Daddy coming home?” she asked.
“No, baby,” I said gently. “Not today.”
She frowned. “Tomorrow?”
I took a breath. “Maybe not for a while,” I admitted. “But I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.”
And that was the truth.
Now, I was finally choosing myself—and my children. He had made his choice. So had I.
