The next day, I gently asked Eli about the man he’d mentioned. He couldn’t remember his name, only that Lily knew him too. My mind raced. Had my sister introduced my son to someone I didn’t know?
I needed answers. The following Saturday, I followed Lily and Eli to the park. I kept a careful distance, heart pounding as I watched them. With them was a man in a blue flannel shirt, his face obscured. He walked close to Lily while Eli ran ahead. They looked like a family.
Unable to stay hidden, I drove to Lily’s house and waited.
When they returned, I finally saw the man clearly—and my breath caught. It was Trent. Older, changed, but unmistakably him. My past and present collided in an instant.
“You brought him here?” I asked Lily, unable to hide my emotion. “You let him see Eli?”
Lily tried to explain. Trent, too, insisted he hadn’t known. He said he never got the chance—that he would’ve been there if he’d known. I didn’t know what to believe. I only knew I felt overwhelmed.
I left without saying more, staying in a small motel that night. I needed time to process. The next morning, I returned home. Lily was waiting. She admitted that she had told Trent recently, and that he had asked to meet Eli. She had only let it happen gradually, never wanting to go behind my back—but fearing I might shut the door completely.
I felt hurt, but I understood her fear. Then Eli appeared behind the door and asked, “Can he come again?”
I hugged him tightly. “Maybe,” I said.
Later that night, I called Trent. “I’m not ready to forgive everything,” I said, “but I won’t shut you out. If we do this together—slowly—I’ll try.”
His voice was quiet. “Thank you.”
Rebuilding trust takes time. It doesn’t always break cleanly—but with care, it can heal. And sometimes, that’s the beginning of something even stronger.