My name is Linda. I packed my things, ready to finally move in with the man I love. He’s Eric.

After five years of heartache, after my ex-husband Tom left me for his young mistress, I never thought I’d find happiness again.

But Eric was like a breath of fresh air! I was finally about to start my new life…

Until a knock on the door changed everything.

I opened it, and there he was -my ex, standing there like a ghost from the past. His hair was messier than I remembered, his face etched with lines that hadn’t been there before, and his eyes were filled with a sorrow that I couldn’t quite place.

But he wasn’t just there to say hi… He had the strangest request in the world.

“Moving?” Tom asked.

“Yes, moving into my boyfriend. Tom, what do you want from me?”

Tom winced slightly, then quickly masked it with a weak smile.

“That’s… that’s good. I’m glad you found someone.”

“Linda, I… I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t need to be. I know I don’t have the right to ask you for anything after what I did, but… I need your help.”

He looked at me with desperation.

“The woman I left you for… she’s gone. She d-ied two weeks ago.”

“And I… I have a daughter now. Ava. She’s just a little girl, Linda, and I’m all she has. But I can’t do it alone. I thought I could, but I can’t. I need you.”

God, he was asking for help—for his daughter’s sake. The irony wasn’t lost on me.

“Why me, Tom?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. “Why come to me?”

“Because I know you, Linda. You have the heart for this. I don’t know anyone else who does.”

Everything in me wanted to slam the door in his face, to tell him to find someone else.

I had once loved Tom fiercely, and dreamed of a family.

I looked at him, at the broken man he had become, and felt the gravity of the decision before me. I had finally found peace, and now, Tom had brought the chaos back into my life.

But this time, it wasn’t just about me. There was a child involved who didn’t deserve any of this.

The child I had dreamed of for years, the one Eric could never give me.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Tom. But… I’ll think about it.”

“Thank you, Linda. That’s all I can ask for.”

***

I decided to meet with Tom at a cafe. Tom walked in. But then I saw her.

That was Ava, with her wide, innocent eyes and tiny frame, clinging to Tom’s hand. She looked up at me.

“Hi, Linda.” Tom guided Ava to the seat across from me and then sat down himself.

“This is Ava.”

“Hello, Ava,” I said softly. “What a wonderful dress you have. You look like a fairy.”

She gave me a tiny wave.

As Tom began to speak about the difficulties he faced raising Ava alone, my eyes kept drifting to Ava, who was playing quietly with a small toy.

She was sweet, so innocent, and there was something about her that tugged at the deepest parts of my heart.

The thought of being a mother stirred something inside me that I hadn’t felt in years. It was a longing that had never truly gone away.

“This could be a second chance for us, Linda. A way to rebuild what was lost.”

Before I could respond, Tom placed Ava in my arms.

“I… I need time, Tom,” I finally whispered. “I need time to figure this out.”

Later I called Eric.

“I just need some time, Eric,” I said, trying to hold back the tears. “I need to figure things out.”

As I hung up the phone, I realized that nothing was simple anymore.

***

The days after our meeting, I spent more and more time with Ava, trying to see if I could truly consider Tom’s proposal. She was such a sweet child.

One afternoon, while Ava and I were drawing together, she looked up at me with those big, innocent eyes.

“Are you going to be my new mommy?”

The question caught me off guard.

“I’m not sure yet, sweetie. We’re just spending time together right now.”

“I like being with you,” she said sincerely.

My heart ached at her words.

I just smiled at her and handed her a new crayon.

One evening, Tom had gone out to run some errands, and the house was eerily quiet.

Ava was asleep on the couch and I was left alone with my thoughts.

I found myself standing outside Tom’s office door. Suddenly, I saw a drawer slightly ajar in his desk. I pulled it open.

There it was, in black and white—an inheritance tied to Ava’s guardianship that could only be fully secured if Tom had a partner!

This isn’t about giving Ava a mother. It’s about money!

AsTom came home later, the documents were spread out on the coffee table, clear evidence of what he’d been hiding.

“Tom. What’s this? Were you ever going to tell me the truth?”

His face went pale.

“Linda, it’s not what you think…”

“You know what I think?” I cut him off, my voice rising.

“These papers say it all, Tom. You were using me to secure Ava’s inheritance, weren’t you?”

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. The look of guilt in his eyes was all the answer I needed.

The room fell silent.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Eric’s number. Panic started to creep in.

What if I’ve lost him too? What if this mess with Tom has ruined everything?

I realized just how much Eric meant to me. He was the person who made me believe in love again.

“Eric, please call me back,” I whispered into the phone. “I need to talk to you… I’m so sorry.”

Hanging up, one thing became clear: I needed to fight for what truly mattered, and that was Eric.

***

As the taxi sped through the city, the memory of saying goodbye to Ava replayed in my mind. Her tiny hand was clutching her dress, her confused eyes searching mine.

“I have to go, sweetie,” I whispered, fighting back tears.

“But remember, you’ll always be special to me.”

Leaving her felt like tearing my heart in two, but staying could drag me back into the darkness I’d fought so hard to escape.

As the taxi sped through the rain-soaked streets, I frantically sent Eric dozens of texts.

I’m coming. I’m so sorry. I was so foolish. Please, let me explain.

When the taxi finally turned the corner to his street, I saw Eric.

He was standing in the pouring rain, a bouquet of white roses in his hand—the kind I loved.

He was soaked through, yet there he was, waiting like he always had.