For years, Vincent had convinced himself he did the right thing. He was just 23, broke, scared, and unprepared to father one child—let alone seven. Linda had refused to bend, and he’d chosen survival. To vanish had felt brutal, but necessary. He buried her, and everything they were, for good.
He’d deleted her number, thrown out every photo, and never looked back. It was easier that way—to pretend none of it had happened. Until now. On her Facebook profile, the past came flooding back in a single photo: Linda, older but radiant, beaming beside a young man in a cap and gown.