When Emily left Simon, it felt like his heart had been ripped right out of his chest. Six years together, four of them living under the same roof. He’d loved her with everything he had—loyal, aching love. But she chose someone else. Richer. Promised her a new-build house in Surrey, a life without pinching pennies. Simon was left broken, alone.
He threw himself into work. Barely came home except to feed his cat, Whiskers. Friends drifted away, hobbies faded. But after a couple of years, he got promoted to department head, then started his own business. Only then did the pain start to ease. He had time for life again—for people, for himself.
Then one day, he heard the awful news: Emily was dead. Her husband—that *wealthy* bloke—had been violent, and during one fight, she fell. Wrong place, wrong time. There was a little boy left behind, about to be sent to foster care. Simon didn’t hesitate—he went straight to him.
The boy was curled up, crying into the wall. Small, shattered, like his whole world had ended. Simon couldn’t bear it. He visited every day—brought toys, sweets, sat quietly beside him. The boy warmed up slowly, but he did. So Simon made the choice: he’d adopt him. He still loved Emily, in a way. How could he leave her son alone in this world?
A few weeks later, the boy moved in. A year on, Simon couldn’t imagine life without him. He was his son in every way that mattered—cheeky, bright, kind. They went to the park, took trips to Cornwall, rode rollercoasters. Then, at a mate’s birthday party, someone said:
“Mate, you *sure* he’s not yours? Spitting image of you.”
Simon scoffed. “Nah, Emily would’ve said.”
“What if *she* didn’t know?”
The idea gnawed at him. He got a DNA test. And the result? Positive. The boy *was* his. His own flesh and blood.
Simon didn’t know what to feel—joy, grief, guilt. He never knew he had a child. And Emily… maybe she didn’t either. Or maybe she just never said.
Now he understood why the boy had felt so familiar from the start. Why he’d clung to him. He hadn’t just saved someone else’s child from loneliness. He’d brought his own son home. The past couldn’t be undone, but now? Now he had a chance to make it right—for his boy, for Emily’s memory, for himself.
