The Child They Never Deserved

He looked… different. Tired. Older. Like life had finally caught up with him.

“I heard you had the baby,” he said, his voice low.

I didn’t respond immediately. I just looked at him—really looked at him—for the first time in a long time. And I realized something important…

I felt nothing.

No anger. No sadness. No love.

Nothing.

“It’s a girl,” I finally said.

He nodded slowly, like he already knew.

“My mother… she was wrong,” he said. “About everything.”

I almost laughed.

“Now you know?” I replied calmly.