He shook his head frantically. “No, Lena, please. Let me come in. Let me see them.”
“You’re not a father, Caleb,” I said, the realization settling in my bones like concrete. “You’re a biological parent. That is biology. Fatherhood is showing up when it’s hard. You failed.”
Behind him, in the hallway, the elevator dinged. Margaret stepped out. She looked less imperious today, her face tight with anxiety. She saw me blockingthe door.
“Lena, be reasonable,” she snapped, though her voice lacked its usual venom. “We can discuss a settlement. We can fix this.”
I looked at the woman who had orchestrated my misery, and then at the man who had allowed it.
I closed the door on both of them.
I locked the deadbolt. And for the first time in months, I didn’t cry.
Caleb’s life was crumbling. Mine was finally rising.
But the biggest moment—the moment he truly broke—was still ahead.
