Celia and Daniel had been married for seven years. However, as his business began to falter, Daniel become increasingly withdrawn, eventually vanishing one morning and leaving his wife and daughter to pick up the pieces. Daniel was not just a husband, but a devoted father too. Our family felt whole, perfect. But then the tides changed. Daniel started growing distant. His warmth and affection toward Abby and I were replaced by a cold silence. Concerned, I tried to reach out. “Honey, what’s going on?” I asked one evening as we were doing the dishes after dinner. “You’ve been so distant lately.” “It’s just … work, Celia,” he muttered, taking a swig of his beer. “Business is tough right now. I’ll figure it out.” I wanted to believe him, to support him through whatever was haunting him. But before I could find a way to get Daniel to open up to me, he was gone. One morning, as I was making breakfast for Abby before school, I found a note on the kitchen counter: I’m doing this for us. Remember that I love you. That was it. No explanations, no goodbyes. Daniel vanished, leaving me and our daughter behind. Weeks turned into months, and eventually a year later divorce papers arrived out of the blue. Daniel gave me everything, without any contesting. His lawyer said that he wanted Abby and I to have everything. It was as if he wanted to erase his existence from our lives. About a year after my divorce, Abby wanted to go away to summer camp. “Please, Mommy!” she said, her eyes wide with excitement.

“All my friends are going!” I gave in. The child had been living with the pain of her absent father, just as I had. She needed some joy. With two free weeks, I decided to visit my best friend, Emily. She lived two cities away, and was always ready to house me when I needed aescape. “Just drive on down,” Emily said happily into the phone. “We’ll eat our hearts away and drink every bottle of wine I have.” An escape was exactly what I needed. On my second day at Emily’s, I left her to work, while I took a walk to the store — eager to satisfy my bagel cravings. It was like seeing a ghost. There, in a little supermarket, I saw him — or at least, I thought I did. Daniel, with another woman and a child — a little boy, younger than Abby. They looked like a perfect little family. I held onto the package of bagels tightly. I blinked a few times, wondering if I was losing my mind. But no, there he was. Standing right in front of me, holding onto the woman’s hand. “Daniel! How dare you?” I exclaimed, my voice carrying around the store. The man turned and looked at me, confusion all over his face. A face that I once knew so well. “Honey, who is she?” the woman asked. “Daniel, don’t you dare pretend not to know me,” I hissed. “You abandoned your family, and now you’re here playing house with someone else?” “I have no idea who you are,” he said. “Daniel, come on,” I said. “So, you won’t remember Abby either?” Then, he looked at me, his eyes steady. “You must be Celia. My name is Mark, Daniel’s twin brother.” I was floored. I didn’t know anything about a twin brother. But apparently they were separated when their parents divorced. Daniel chose to leave with his mother. He wasn’t close to his father. “Come, walk with us,” Mark said, leading the way out of the store. Mark’s wife and son walked up ahead, eating fresh donuts from the supermarket, while Mark and I trailed behind them. “Have you seen him?” I asked. Mark nodded. “Have you seen him?” I asked. “He’s here. Look, he was in deep trouble, the debt was piling up, and his business failing. He thought that disappearing was the only way to protect you and Abby. And if everything was in your name after the divorce, then nothing could be seized.” “Why couldn’t he just tell me that?” I asked, a fresh set of pain and confusion settling in. Turns out that Daniel was ashamed. Apparently he didn’t want to drag his family down with him. But by vanishing, he had done just that. Abby and I had been weighed down by his abandonment. Mark gave me Daniel’s address, suggesting that I confront him for the answers I needed. And so, I did. Our reunion was nothing like I had imagined. Daniel was remorseful, tears streaming down his face as he begged for forgiveness. “I thought I was protecting you,” he sobbed. “I didn’t think that it would wreck you and Abby, too. Celia, can you forgive me?” Looking into his eyes, I saw the man I once loved, but too much had changed. The trust between us was nonexistent. “Daniel, I don’t think I can. And I don’t want to hurt Abby.” We parted ways, a mix of sadness and resignation hanging in the air I went back home the next day, and awaited Abby’s return. What would you have done?