PART 18 – His Fiancée Finally Faced the Reality of His First Marriage, While I Realized I No Longer Needed Anything From Him

The woman in the red dress eventually approached me.

She looked calmer than before.

But her eyes were still troubled.

"Can I speak with you for a moment?"

I nodded.

We moved a short distance away from the children.

She looked down at her hands.

"I'm sorry."

I wasn't expecting that.

"For what?"

"For the way everything happened today."

I considered her words.

"You didn't cause what happened eight years ago."

She nodded.

"I know."

She looked toward Terrence.

"I just thought I knew his entire story."

I understood.

She had believed she was preparing to marry a man whose previous marriage belonged to the past.

Now she knew that the past was still part of his present.

"I can't tell you what he has told you," I said. "But I can tell you what happened to me."

She listened.

"I told him I was pregnant. He didn't believe me. Then the divorce happened."

She lowered her eyes.

"Did you ever want him back?"

The question caught me off guard.

I thought about it.

There had been a time when I wanted nothing more than for Terrence to return.

I had wanted him to understand.

I had wanted him to apologize.

I had wanted him to stand beside me.

But those feelings belonged to another version of myself.

"No," I finally answered. "Not anymore."

She looked at me.

I continued.

"I wanted my children to have a father. That's different from wanting my marriage back."

She nodded slowly.

Then she looked toward the children.

"They're beautiful."

"Thank you."

She seemed to struggle with another question.

"Do you think Terrence will try to be part of their lives?"

I looked toward him.

He was sitting beside Mason and Wyatt.

"I think that's something he has to show through his actions."

She nodded.

I didn't ask what she planned to do about the engagement.

I didn't ask whether she would forgive him.

Those were decisions she had to make for herself.

She glanced toward the table.

The ring box was still there.

"I need to think about a lot of things."

"I understand."

She returned to Terrence.

I remained where I was.

For the first time that day, I realized how little I needed from him.

I didn't need him to tell me I had been a good mother.

I didn't need him to admire the life I had built.

I didn't need him to regret losing me.

I had already found happiness without those things.

The children came over a few minutes later.

Mason took my hand.

"Mama, Grandma wants us to sit with her."

I smiled.

"Then let's go."

He nodded.

I followed the children toward Lorraine.

The woman in the red dress stayed beside Terrence.

Their conversation continued quietly.

I didn't look back.

I had spent enough of my life wondering what Terrence was thinking.

It was time to enjoy the people who were actually beside me.

Click here to continue reading: PART 19: When the Children Called Lorraine Grandma Without Hesitation, I Understood That Their Future Did Not Have to Repeat Our Past