“Youre the one who ruined him,” accused my new husbands ex-wife.
“Mum, why does Theo have a different last name?” asked Oliver, flipping through his stepbrothers school diary.
Emily froze over the pot of stew, the ladle hovering in her hand. The question hung in the air like a taut string. Oliver sat at the kitchen table doing his homework, not even looking up as he waited for an answer.
“Because he has a different dad,” she replied quietly, stirring the soup.
“Wheres his dad?”
“He lives separately.”
Oliver finally lifted his head from his notebook and studied his mother with knowing eyes. At eleven, he understood more than Emily wished he did.
“Why does Theo sometimes cry at night?”
Emilys heart clenched. She knew, of course. Seven-year-old Theo often sobbed in his sleep, face buried in his pillow. The child psychologist said it was the stress of adjustinghis parents divorce, a new stepdad.
“Hes finding it hard to get used to our new family,” Emily said, turning off the stove.
“I didnt mind when James moved in,” Oliver remarked. “Hes great, isnt he?”
Emily smiled. James had been a wonderful husband and stepfather. After her first divorce, shed spent three years raising Oliver alone, juggling two jobs and falling asleep exhausted over his schoolwork. Then shed met James at a parents eveninghe was divorced too, raising his son, Theo.
Their relationship had grown slowly, carefully. Both were afraid of making another mistake, of hurting their children. But love had proved stronger than fear.
“Em, Im home!” James called from the hallway.
“Dads back!” Oliver grinned, darting off to greet him.
Emily watched him go. How easily Oliver had accepted James! But with Theo, things were far harder.
James entered the kitchen, kissed her temple, and wrapped an arm around her.
“Hows everything? Wheres Theo?”
“In his room. James, we need to talk,” Emily lowered her voice. “Charlotte called today.”
His expression darkened. Charlottehis ex-wife, Theos mother. Every call from her tested the family.
“What now?”
“She wants Theo this weekend. Says hes changedwithdrawn, struggling in school.”
“What did you say?”
“What could I say? Of course she can have him. But she hinted…” Emily hesitated.
“Hinted at what?”
“That its my fault. That Im not treating him well.”
James sighed and sank into a chair.
“Em, you know thats not true. Youve tried so hard to be good to him.”
“I try. But is it enough?” Her voice trembled. “Oliver took to you straight away. Theo still flinches when I reach for him.”
“Give him time. His situations different. Oliver remembers how hard it was for you alonehes glad youve got someone. Theo had both parents until everything fell apart. And Charlotte keeps poisoning him against you.”
Emily knew. After their wedding, Jamess ex-wife had declared war. She couldnt stand him finding happiness with someone else.
“Remember when she showed up at our wedding?”
James winced. Of course he remembered. Charlotte had burst into the ceremony, demanding Theo back, screaming that Emily had stolen her familyeven though James had been divorced for six months when they met.
“Shell never stop,” James said wearily. “But well manage. We cant let her influence the boys.”
Theo appeared in the doorway. A slight, fair-haired boy with sad eyes, hesitating on the threshold.
“Theo, come eat,” Emily said gently.
He shuffled in, sitting as far from her as possible. The familiar ache tightened her chest. What was she doing wrong?
“How was school?” James asked.
“Fine,” Theo mumbled, staring at his plate.
“Your teacher said youve been distracted.”
Theo shrugged.
“Something bothering you?” Emily ventured.
He shot her a glance, then looked away.
“S fine.”
“Theo, Emilys just trying to help,” James said patiently.
“Shes not my mum!” Theo burst out. “Ive got a real mum!”
Emily went pale. James clenched his fists.
“Theo, apologise now!”
“No! Shes not family! I dont want to live here! I want my mum!”
He bolted from the table. His bedroom door slammed.
Emily covered her face. James pulled her close.
“He doesnt mean it.”
“He does. And hes right. Im a stranger to him. No matter what I doI broke his family.”
“Em, dont. Charlotte and I divorced long before we met. You know why.”
Emily knew. Charlotte had cheated, flaunted her affairs, claimed marriage suffocated her. Only when James filed for divorce did she panic, begging for another chance. Too late.
“But Theo doesnt know that. To him, it started when I came into your lives.”
“Hell understand when hes older.”
“Until then, Im the villain who stole his dad.”
Oliver peeked into the kitchen.
“Mum, whats wrong with Theo? Hes crying.”
Emily looked at James. His eyes mirrored her helplessness.
“Ill talk to him,” he said.
“No. Let me.”
She knocked on Theos door.
“Theo, can I come in?”
“Go away!”
“Please. I need to tell you something.”
A pause. Then a quiet, “Fine.”
Theo lay facing the wall. Emily sat on the beds edge.
“Want to hear about my dad?”
Silence. But she knew he was listening.
“My parents split when I was eighta bit older than you. Dad left for someone else. Mum married Uncle Dave later. Know what I did?”
Theo turned slightly.
“I hated Uncle Dave. Thought if I misbehaved enough, hed leave and Dad would come back. I ruined his things, threw fits. Poor Uncle Dave suffered. Mum cried every night.”
Theo rolled over.
“What happened?”
“I grew up. Realised Dad didnt leave because of Uncle Dave. He just stopped loving Mum. Uncle Dave only wanted to make us happy. But I realised too late.”
“Too late?”
“Uncle Dave died when I was sixteen. I never thanked him. Never said I loved him. Hed been a real dad all those years. And I…”
Her voice broke.
“Aunt Emily,” Theo whispered. “Do you want me to forget my mum?”
“No, Theo. Never. Youve only got one mum, and you should love her. I just want us to be happy together. Im not replacing her. I just want to be your friend.”
Theo was silent a long time.
“You wont make me call you Mum?”
“Never. Call me what you like.”
“And if if I miss her, you wont be mad?”
“Of course not. Its okay to miss her.”
Theo sat up.
“Can I tell you about her sometimes? How nice she is?”
“Whenever you want.”
“Will you tell me about Uncle Dave?”
Emily smiled through tears.
“I will.”
That weekend, Charlotte picked Theo up. Emily watched from the window as the elegant blonde settled him into her sleek cara world apart from Emily in her jeans and jumper.
Theo waved cheerfully. Emily waved back, forcing a smile.
James hugged her from behind.
“Dont worry. Hell come home.”
“I know. Its just shes so glamorous, so successful. And Im”
“Youre everything. Theo will see that.”
On Sunday evening, Charlotte brought Theo back. But instead of dropping him at the door, she came upstairs.
Emily opened the door and knew instantlysomething was wrong. Charlottes face was twisted with fury.
“We need to talk,” she hissed.
“Theo, go to your room,” Emily said softly.
“No!” Charlotte snapped. “He stays. He needs to hear this.”
James emerged from the living room.
“Charlotte, whats going on?”
“This!” She yanked a notebook from her bag. “Your son wrote this for school. The topic? My Family. Listen.”
Her voice shook with rage as she read:
“In my family theres five: Dad James, Mum Emily, brother Oliver, me, and my real mum Charlotte. Mum Emilys really kind. She cooks nice food and helps with homework. She doesnt make me call her Mum, but I know she loves me. And I love her too. Mum Charlottes pretty and has fancy clothes. But she hardly ever visits. Mum Emilys always home when I get back from school”
Charlotte slammed the book shut.
“You did this!” she screamed. “Turned him against me! Made him call you Mum!”
“I never”
“Liar! You bought his love! And now he writes thisthat Im pretty but never there! That youre always home! Making
