That was the last time I saw Bruce up close.
The final custody order took months, but he never recovered from that hearing. More evidence came out. His attempt to paint Mia as unstable failed. People learned enough of the truth to stop seeing him as the wronged father he pretended to be.
Mia moved in with her sister and started over. We didn’t become close friends, but sometimes, she sent me a photo of Lily, and sometimes, I replied.
Bruce kept the house he had wanted so badly. The house where he now lived alone.
One year later, I ran into Mia at a park.
Lily was toddling through the grass, laughing as Mia followed behind her. When Mia saw me, she stopped.
“Hi, Paula,” she said softly.
“Hi.”
Lily ran toward my bench and handed me a crumpled yellow leaf.
I smiled. “Thank you.”
Mia sat beside me while Lily chased another one.
After a quiet moment, Mia said, “That day, I thought I had won.”
I looked at her.
She watched Lily with sad eyes.
“Now I realize I lost the moment I believed him.”
I nodded. “We both lost something.”
“But we got out,” she said.
Across the park, Lily laughed in the sunlight.
