Take him away for good! Sarah snapped, irritation flaring. All these formalities are pointless.
What am I supposed to do, you never asked me! Nick retorted in the same sharp tone.
You could have asked once in your life and maybe I wouldnt have broken, Sarah shot back.
If Id had a reason to ask, I would have! Nick huffed. Nothing depends on you, so stop telling me how to act.
You have no conscience, Sarah said, hurt. Fine, think about our son for once!
And I do think about him, you know? Nick shouted. I think about him more than you do!
I not only think, I support and raise him! he added. And you can keep threatening that youll go to work!
I will! Sarah declared. As soon as I find something.
Find something first, Nick replied, voice unchanged. Then keep your mouth shut.
Nick listened to Sarahs huff for a few minutes before turning back to his packing.
Understand, Kevin feels hurt because youre always with Ryan, Sarah said calmly. When youre with them, I even notice you give Ryan more attention.
Hes older! Theres plenty to talk about, and the boy is already forming his own ideas, Nick replied. We have to wonder what hell become.
Does your own son matter to you any longer? Sarah asked.
Hes still small, and by law he needs his mothers care more than his fathers, Nick answered. So focus on Kevin while hes a child. As for me Ill spend time with my nephew. He finished his wifes sentence. Did you hear? With the nephew! While ignoring our own son!
No ones spitting on anyone! Nick grimaced. I give everyone time! But Kevin has a dad whos always there, my sister raises her son with my mum, not a man. Two women arent what a twelveyearold needs.
So should I be cold to the way two women are breaking my nephews mind? Will that ever make him a real man?
Nick, should I call my mother over so you become interested in Kevin? Sarah snapped.
Both of you are out! Nick roared. All Im missing is your mother!
What about Kevin? Sarah asked, voice edged with annoyance.
Of course he stays with me! You have nothing to give him, Nick said with a sneer. Did you think Id line you up with a fairytale life on child support? You wont get it! Youll end up paying me! At least find a job so you dont sit idle!
Sarah swallowed the insult; Nick was right. She had nothing left. Her ambitions had faded during the marriage, and she never finished her degree. Shed taken a maternity leave and never returned to university.
Nick kept packing in silence.
Did you buy all those toys for Ryan? Sarah asked, breaking the quiet. I thought Kevin would get something too
Hes got enough already, Nick waved off. Ryan has no one else to rely on but an uncle.
Both mothers were useless; Kevin was pitied, destined to disappear with them.
Sarah couldnt think of a reply, so she moved to help her husband. A card slipped from a box, fell to the floor. She picked it up automatically, opened it, and read the text.
Her eyes widened, then the card slid onto the carpet.
Nick, what does to my beloved son mean? she asked.
Who asked you to stick your nose where it doesnt belong? Nick shouted, pushing her away. Stop meddling!
Ill stop, Sarah whispered, but what does it mean?
Good grief, can you be any more blunt? Nick snapped. A sensible woman would have guessed by now! And you, daydreaming as always!
Sarah could have been Nicks second wife, but fate made her his first. The woman foretold to become his first wife never wanted the title. She lived with Nick in a rented flat for a year, then vanished without a trace. Her family claimed ignorance of Victorias whereabouts; no friends or acquaintances could guess where she was.
Nick mourned brieflyactually not at all. As the saying goes, A weight off the cart is a lighter load. He went on with his life, taking pleasure in it.
A year later Victoria resurfaced, this time cradling a baby. Rumours spread that she would demand alimony or even force marriage, but that never happened. She had come simply to hand the child to its father and disappear again.
If shed handed over a bundle, Nick could have claimed it was a found child and sent it to a childrens home, sealing the boys fate. Instead, Victoria placed the infant in a basket at the doorstep of Nicks mother and sister, along with a tearful note explaining she had no money, no strength, and was battling postpartum depression and a serious illness.
She begged them not to abandon the childher nephew and grandson.
When Nick was called in for explanations, he shrugged. How would I know? Maybe someone found it and dropped it off. Well test it later.
The test proved the boy was Nicks son. A heated discussion followed.
Where do I put this child? What will I do with him? Ive just started a business! Nick complained. I have contracts, negotiations, deals! And I still have to work because I cant afford a full staff.
What do you propose? Anne asked. Put the child in a home?
Were the only ones who know hes our own. Victoria wont be around again, Nick said. If we dont, who will care for him?
Nick, we know! Anne pressed. How can we live if our own child ends up in a home?
Id survive, Nick muttered. And I wish the same for you.
You have no conscience, sending your child to a home, Linda, Nicks sister, snapped. Who asked you to interfere?
Im not the one to blame, Nick retorted. Dont stitch a horses tail and then complain!
I would never give my child away! Linda replied. She was twenty when she became pregnant, then suffered a miscarriage and was diagnosed with infertility, making children a painful subject.
Dont be ridiculous, Anne warned. If you put the child in care, youll be ruinedno business, no happiness, no life.
Enough! Nick thumped the table. Since you all act so righteous and compassionate, lets do this: Linda registers the child, Ill find the money, well sort everything. Well all raise him together, and Ill be the generous uncle who helps.
What do you mean help? Linda asked.
Support! Nick shouted. Is that clear?
What if you marry? Anne wondered.
What changes? Nick shrugged. Ill keep helping my sister with the nephew. Everything will be fine.
Nick was honest about sending money, but he barely appeared for three years. When his mother or sister asked, he claimed he was busy with business and personal life.
Everyone met at a wedding, which left a sour taste, but Nick fed them enough flattering talk to satisfy curiosity. Meanwhile, his mother and sister were occupied with the nephew, while Sarah was pregnant and studying.
When Kevin was born, Nick changed. He watched his bloodline grow, yet the constant cries irritated him, reminding him of Ryan.
That boys already shouting! he thought, driving to his sisters house to see his nephew.
His fatherly feelings, sparked by Kevins birth, were now directed at Ryan because he responded. Kevin, however, remained on the sidelines.
For eight years the pattern held. Kevin wasnt completely neglected; he received enough attention, but Nick leaned more toward Ryan. A fouryear gap is huge for children; activities suitable for a twelveyearold dont work for an eightyearold, and Nick had already outgrown what he needed to do with Ryan, losing interest in Kevin.
Sarah watched her son being pushed to the background for the sake of the nephew. Resentment, jealousy, irritation, and outrage swirled, but she could do nothing. She was financially dependent on Nick. When she sought work, she was offered lowpaid, unskilled jobsunthinkable for the wife of a businessman accustomed to comfort.
I cant be a cleaner or dishwasher! she protested, managing only a few sharp remarks in the hope Nick might remember their son, or at least give him equal attention.
One day Sarah blurted, So this is your son? Your own son? Why is his sister raising him?
Yes, Sarah, Ryan is my son! Linda isnt his mother, but she raises him as if he were hers, Nick snapped. He already knows she isnt his real mother. What else do you want from me?
Do you think its easy for me? Back and forth all the time! he added, rubbing his forehead, covering his mouth, and taking a deep breath, a gesture of frustration and dawning realization.
Nick, what if we take him in? she offered calmly. Let the brothers live together. Ill try to be Ryans mother, and if he refuses me, at least his father will always be near, and you wont have to split between sons.
Ready to adopt my child? Nick asked, wary.
Why not, Sarah shrugged. Im even willing to adopt him.
Sarah wasnt sure she could take a strangers child, but she thought that with both boys under one roof, Nick would split his time equally, and she would ensure love and attention were shared.
Nick thought it over for a week, then decided. He officially recognized Ryan as his son, and Sarah adopted him as promised.
Take good care of her, Anne advised Nick. Shes a saint; another woman would have sent you to hell. She understood, forgave, and accepted.
Seeing his wifes kindness, Nick looked at her with genuine love and gratitude. Ryan eventually called Sarah Mum, though it took a year for the title to stick.
In the end, they became an ordinary, happy family, proving that when you choose compassion over pride, you can turn a tangled mess into lasting harmony.
