The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains as Adrian helped Ethan adjust his schoolbag.
"Dad, can we get ice cream after school?" Ethan beamed.
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "Ice cream?
"Please!" Ethan pouted dramatically. "Just one scoop… or maybe eight."
Adrian laughed. "Eight?! You planning to swim in it?"
Later that afternoon, Adrian picked Ethan up and, true to his word, handed him a small box from the back seat—eight mini cones, carefully wrapped.
"Don't tell your mom," Adrian winked.
Ethan giggled, licking chocolate off his fingers. "Best. Day. Ever."
---
That Night
Adrian returned to the hospital after dropping Ethan home. He hadn't planned on staying long, but a call from the night shift kept him longer than expected.
Cassidy spotted him in the break room, slumped by the vending machine.
"Still losing battles with snacks?" she teased.
Adrian looked up and gave her a tired smile. "The chocolate bar betrayed me again."
She tapped the code. Out dropped the stubborn bar. "You need me more than you admit."
They shared a small laugh, but the air turned serious fast.
"You've been distant," Cassidy said quietly.
"I've been…" He hesitated. "Distracted."
"Too distracted to remember the ones who stayed when others walked away?"
"Cassidy…"
"You still love her, don't you?"
He didn't speak.
Cassidy nodded slowly. "I always knew. Just wished I was wrong."
---
Later That Night – At Home
Sophia rushed into Ethan's room to find him burning with a mild fever.
"Sweetheart?" she pressed her hand to his forehead.
"Mommy, can Daddy sleep with us tonight?" Ethan sniffled.
"Ethan—"
"Please? Just for tonight… I want both of you beside me."
She looked at Adrian, who had just walked in behind her. Their eyes met. No arguments. No bitterness. Just concern—for their son.
Minutes later, all three lay on the bed. Ethan snuggled between them, holding each of their hands.
Sophia felt the warmth of Adrian's fingers around hers. She didn't pull away.
In the silence, with only Ethan's soft breaths and the hum of the night, something shifted.
Not quite love again.
Not quite forgiveness.
But maybe… the beginning of both.