Chapter 2: The Truth Ethan Left Behind
Three days after Ethan’s funeral, Claire returned home.
The house looked exactly the same.
That was the cruelest part.
The same blue curtains Ethan loved.
The same toys scattered across the living room.
The same small shoes sitting near the front door.
Except now…
Nobody would ever wear them again.
Claire walked into Ethan’s bedroom.
His dinosaur pajamas were folded neatly on the bed.
His drawings covered the wall.
One picture showed three people holding hands.
Mommy.
Daddy.
Ethan.
Claire sat down and held it against her chest.
Then she noticed something.
A small envelope underneath Ethan’s pillow.
Her name was written on it.
In a child’s uneven handwriting.
Mommy.
Her hands started shaking.
She opened it carefully.
Inside was a small piece of paper.
A drawing.
And a few words Ethan had written with help from his teacher.
"Mommy and Daddy,
Please don't fight.
I love my family."
Claire covered her mouth.
A second note was attached.
This one was from Ethan’s kindergarten teacher.
"Claire, Ethan asked me to help him write this last week. He told me he wanted to surprise both of you. He said Daddy was always busy, but he knew Daddy loved him."
Claire closed her eyes.
Even at the end…
Ethan was protecting his father.
The person who wasn’t there.
A knock came from the front door.
Garrett.
Claire almost told him to leave.
But something inside her stopped.
She opened the door.
Garrett looked different.
No expensive suit.
No perfect appearance.
Just a broken man.
“I found out about the note,” he said.
Claire stared at him.
“How?”
“The hospital gave me Ethan’s things.”
His voice trembled.
“He was still trying to bring us together.”
Silence.
Garrett looked inside the house.
“I don’t deserve forgiveness.”
Claire said nothing.
“I don’t even deserve to say I’m sorry.”
A tear rolled down his face.
“But I need you to know something.”
He looked toward Ethan’s room.
“I would trade everything I have to hear him call me Daddy one more time.”
Claire looked away.
Because those words hurt.
They hurt because they came too late.
“You can regret it for the rest of your life,” she whispered.
Garrett nodded.
“I know.”
“But Ethan doesn’t get another day.”
That sentence destroyed him.
Because it was true.
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A child’s life had ended.
And his regret could not bring him back.
