Chapter 16
Ethan told Megan about Ryan that night, after Lila was asleep.
They were sitting on the couch, drinking wine, and he told her everything—what Ryan had said, how he had looked, that he was living in town now, that he wanted supervised visits.
Megan didn’t say anything for a long time.
She stared at her wine glass, her mind racing.
She had known this day would come. She had known Ryan would want to be in Lila’s life eventually. She just hadn’t expected it to be now. Not when everything was perfect. Not when they were planning their wedding. Not when Lila was so happy, so safe, so unaware of the pain that had surrounded her birth.
"What do you want to do?" Ethan asked, putting his hand on hers. "Whatever you decide, I support you. If you want to fight him, we’ll fight him. If you want to let him see her, we’ll do that too. Whatever is best for Lila."
Megan took a deep breath.
That was the question, wasn’t it?
What was best for Lila?
She thought about the box of letters in the closet. All of Ryan’s apologies, his promises to change, his regret. She thought about the Ryan she had met at the bar—the kind, charming man she had fallen in love with. She thought about the Ryan who had left her ble:eding on the floor. She thought about the Ryan who had testified against Margaret, who had taken responsibility, who had spent three years bettering himself.
People could change.
She believed that.
But did she trust him?
No.
Not yet.
Maybe never.
But this wasn’t about her.
It was about Lila.
Lila was a smart little girl. Sooner or later, she would find out she had another dad. She would ask questions. She would want to know why he wasn’t around. Megan could lie to her, tell her he was dead, tell her he didn’t care. But she had promised herself she would never lie to her daughter. Not about anything.
And what if Ryan really had changed? What if he could be a good dad? What if Lila wanted him in her life, and Megan kept him away, and Lila hated her for it when she got older?
It was a risk.
Either way.
"I think we should let him have supervised visits," Megan said slowly. "One hour a week. At the family services center. With a social worker present the whole time. No alone time. No overnights. Nothing. If he messes up—if he’s late, if he drinks, if he says anything bad about us—it stops. Immediately. Forever."
Ethan nodded, squeezing her hand.
"Okay. We’ll talk to the lawyer tomorrow. Set it all up. And Meg? Whatever happens, I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. Lila is my daughter. Nothing will ever change that. Not Ryan. Not anything."
Megan leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes.
"I know," she said. "Thank you. For everything."
The first supervised visit was two weeks later.
Megan drove Lila to the family services center, her hands shaking on the wheel. Lila was in the backseat, singing Baby Shark, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
Megan had explained it to her that morning, as simply as she could.
"Baby, today you’re going to meet a man named Ryan. He helped make you. He’s your other daddy. He’s been gone for a long time, but he wants to get to know you. Is that okay?"
Lila had nodded, excited.
"I have two daddies? Like Lily in my class? That’s cool!"
Megan’s heart broke a little.
It was that simple for a three-year-old.
No anger. No pain. No betrayal.
Just excitement.
They walked into the small playroom at the center. Ryan was already there, sitting on a tiny chair, holding a box of Lego and a dinosaur toy. He was wearing clean jeans and a button-down shirt. His hands were shaking. He looked like he was going to pass out from nerves.
When he saw Lila, his face lit up.
Lila ran into the room, stopping in front of him.
"Hi!" she said, grinning. "I’m Lila! I’m three! I like dinosaurs! Do you like dinosaurs?"
Ryan let out a shaky laugh, tears running down his face.
"Hi, Lila," he said, his voice breaking. "I’m Ryan. I like dinosaurs too. A lot. I brought you one. He’s a T-Rex. His name is Rex."
Lila’s eyes went wide. She took the dinosaur, hugging it tight.
"Rex!" she yelled. "I love him! Thank you, Ryan Daddy!"
Ryan looked over at Megan, standing in the doorway.
He mouthed Thank you.
Megan nodded, turning to leave the room, letting the social worker supervise.
As she walked out, she heard Lila laughing, telling Ryan all about her preschool, her soccer team, her cat. She heard Ryan laughing too, a sound she hadn’t heard in years.
She leaned against the wall outside the playroom, closing her eyes, crying.
She didn’t know if this was the right choice.
May you like
She didn’t know if Ryan would break her trust again.
But for the first time in a long time, she felt like they were all finally on the path to healing.
