Ten Winters in Boston

My daughter Lily was rushed to the ER for a severe allergic reaction. And my partner, Liam Caldwell? He was at a school fundraiser for his first love's son.

I dialed his number, but it was Jessica Thorne's voice that answered.

Her tearful, insincere apology was cut short when Liam grabbed the phone from her, his voice tight with impatience.

"She's a single mom, Ava. Things are tough for her. Is it so wrong for me to help her out?"

I hung up and turned to my daughter, pale and weak on the hospital bed. I smoothed back her hair. "Lily," I asked softly, "from now on, it's just the two of us, okay?"

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1

My daughter lifted her small face, still swollen and red from the allergy, and whispered, "Okay."

"That's my brave girl."

I kissed her forehead and picked up my phone, calling the school to ask about the transfer process.

They told me it would take a month, at the earliest.

But that didn't matter.

If I could endure a decade in this sham of a relationship, I could endure another month.

Lily's round eyes kept darting toward the door of the hospital room. She didn't say anything, but I knew she was waiting for her father, Liam.

I called him again, hoping he would at least say goodnight to her.

The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before he finally answered, his voice sharp and cold with impatience.

"Ava, I'm at dinner with Mason. Do you really need to check on me every five seconds?"

"First the endless calls, and now you’re making up stories about Lily having an allergic reaction? God, Ava, are you that desperate for my attention?"

The background was a cacophony of noise. Through the din, I recognized the cheerful jingle of Lily's favorite ice cream parlor.

Liam always claimed he was too busy with work, yet here he was, at a dinner for Mason, even taking him and Jessica out for ice cream.

Suddenly, a clear little voice chirped, "Daddy, why aren't you eating?"

My hand trembled so violently the phone nearly slipped from my grasp.

Just then, Liam hung up.

He didn't come home for a week.

In the past, I might have tearfully confronted him, demanding to know if he was sleeping at Jessica's again. But now? I didn't have the energy to call back.

Then, unexpectedly, Liam came home.

The moment he walked through the door, he was on the attack.

"You didn't get Mason a gift for his party this week, did you?"

"Whatever's going on with us, you don't take it out on a kid. Besides, Jessica is terrible at picking out gifts, so I told her you'd handle it."

I lowered my eyes and said nothing.

Liam's expression softened almost imperceptibly. He reached out, giving my hand a light squeeze.

"Haven't you always wanted to go to Hawaii? If you behave..."

How ridiculous. Ten years together, and we’d never made it to Hawaii. We’d never even gotten a marriage license.

The night before we were supposed to sign the papers, Jessica's husband died in an accident, leaving her with their one-year-old son.

She had a complete breakdown and was hospitalized. Liam dropped everything to care for her, shutting out the rest of the world.

Our wedding was postponed indefinitely.

And now, he thought a hollow promise of a trip to Hawaii could make me bend to his will. I just stared at him, my expression a blank slate.

Before the tension could snap, my phone rang. It was Lily's teacher.

Lily had gotten into a fight at school.

I grabbed my bag and rushed out the door.

Liam, his face suddenly tight with alarm, ran after me. He pulled the car around to the curb, and I got into the passenger seat without a word.

Then, I saw something that made my blood run cold.

Stuck to the passenger-side window was a small, heart-shaped sticker that read, "J.T.'s Co-pilot." Jessica Thorne's designated seat.

Liam buckled his seatbelt.

When he saw what I was staring at, his expression shifted. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes as he hastily peeled the sticker off and shoved it into his pocket.

Fearing the usual tears and accusations, he started to explain, "Jessica was just messing around, she stuck that on as a joke, it's not—"

"Just drive. Lily's waiting," I interrupted, my voice devoid of emotion.

Liam stared at the side of my face for a long moment before falling silent and starting the car.

...

In my mind, I replayed the image of him carefully, almost tenderly, tucking that sticker into his pocket.

That one small gesture confirmed it: the past ten years of my life had been a complete waste.

When we arrived at the school office, a little boy was wailing dramatically. Lily stood off to the side, her small shoulders trembling, silent tears streaming down her face from behind a curtain of disheveled hair.

I recognized the boy instantly. It was Mason Vance, Jessica's son.

Liam strode past me into the office, his tall frame completely blocking my view.

When Lily saw him, her eyes lit up with a flicker of hope.

She started to run toward him, but Mason beat her to it, launching himself into Liam's arms.