One weekend, I followed them to the park and saw the man — tall, familiar, too close to Lily and Eli. The realization hit me like a punch: it was Trent, Eli’s biological father. Lily had kept it from me, hiding Trent’s involvement with my son.

Confronting them, Trent explained that he hadn’t known about Eli until recently, and Lily had been trying to protect me by keeping it slow. I was hurt but agreed to let Eli get to know his father — slowly and together.Trust is fragile, but with time, it can heal. And I was willing to take that chance for Eli’s sake.