“He’s trying,” she observed simply.
“He is,” I agreed.
“Are you going to give him another chance? Let him back into your heart?”
I didn’t answer right away, watching as Ethan carefully buckled the car seat and checked it twice to make sure it was secure. “I don’t know if I believe in second chances anymore. Not for relationships that broke as badly as ours did. Not when the trust was violated so completely.”
“But?” Mrs. Chen prompted, hearing the unspoken words.
“But I believe in people learning. Growing. Changing. Becoming better versions of themselves through hard experience and genuine effort.” I watched Ethan gently adjust the sun shade on the car window. “I just don’t know if that means we should be romantic partners again, or if he’s simply becoming a better person who happens to be my daughter’s father.”
Mrs. Chen patted my arm with her weathered hand. “You don’t have to know yet, dear. You have time. Let him keep showing you who he’s becoming.”
That evening, when Ethan brought the baby back, he lingered at my doorway instead of leaving immediately like he usually did.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
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