“Can I see them?” Michelle asked softly. “The kids?” Daniel paused, swirling the ice in his glass as he carefully weighed his words. “I have to talk to them first,” he said calmly. “Ava’s eighteen now, Noah’s sixteen. Whether they see you, when, or how—that’s completely up to them now. It’s not my call to make anymore.”
Michelle nodded, her shoulders dropping slightly, as if she had expected a quick refusal instead of an honest boundary. “I understand,” she replied quietly. “Whatever they choose.” “I’ll let you know what they say,” Daniel said.
She didn’t push any further or ask him to pitch her case to them, which he silently appreciated. Across the room, he spotted thirteen-year-old Lily laughing at a joke with Ava, completely unaware of who was standing nearby. “Thank you,” Michelle said, turning to leave, “for not shutting the door.” “I didn’t open it either,” Daniel replied.