After my first wife passed, it was just my son, Joey, and me. We understood each other, even in silence. Then I met Anna—lively, talkative, and full of energy. She and her daughter, Lily, were the opposite of us, but I thought we could balance each other out.When they moved in, Joey struggled to adjust. He was quiet and reserved, which frustrated Anna and Lily. They pressured him to open up, rolling their eyes when he didn’t meet their expectations.

Still, Joey tried to fit in, even if they barely noticed.One night, Joey surprised me—he had planned an entire birthday party for Anna. He invited her friends, her family, and put everything together himself. He wanted to make her happy, to show he cared. I was so proud of him.But just before the party, I overheard a conversation that shattered everything.”You’re not coming,” Anna told Joey coldly. “You don’t fit in. You’ll just sit there awkwardly, and I don’t want to deal with that.”