After 14 years of marriage and raising four kids, Peter ended it all with a text. “You’re too tired. Too boring. Too much.”

No conversation. No warning. He packed up his midlife crisis and walked straight into the arms of his younger, carefree,

child-free colleague. While he was posting rooftop bar selfies and quoting song lyrics about “freedom,” I was left holding

the pieces — making dinners with tears in my eyes, folding tiny socks with shaking hands, and wiping away my kids’

confusion with a strength I didn’t know I had. There was no time to,

break down. So I didn’t. Instead, I rebuilt. Slowly. Quietly. Fiercely. I became both mother and father, comforter and protector.

I grew roots where he had wings. I stopped waiting for someone to rescue us and became the hero myself. A year later

— just when peace was beginning to settle in — he knocked on my door. A wilted bouquet from

a gas station in one hand, and regret all over his face. “I made a mistake,”

he said. “I miss you. I want to come home.” I let him in. Poured him tea. Let him speak.

Then I handed him a folder — child support calculations, back pay, every doctor’s bill, school supply receipt,

and grocery run from the year he vanished. His smile faltered. “What is this?” “You said you wanted to come back,”

I said. “I assumed you meant as a father. A provider. Not just a man looking for shelter when the party ran out.”

He stared at me like he didn’t recognize the woman sitting across from him. “You’ve changed.” I smiled. Calm. Steady.

Whole. “No, Peter. I just stopped setting myself on fire to keep others warm.” Then I stood, walked him to the door,

and closed it behind him. This time, it stayed closed. The next morning, I tossed his flowers in the compost bin

— right beside the eggshells and coffee grounds. Useless things we no longer needed.