Page 31 of No One Like You

“Yes. I won’t live with Daddy anymore. When I came here, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do, but I have decided now that I am going to live with Aunt Tasha. I’m not sure how long. I need to talk with her. But this is my new home. Does that make sense?”

“Yes, Mom. I like Aunt Tasha!”

“I do too. She is very special.”

“Mom? Am I going to live with you?”

“That is something that I want to talk to you about. I am going to talk with your Dad about a lot of this, but you need to have a say in this, too. I want you to know that your father and I will always be in your life, but you may need to decide who you want to live with. That is a very hard decision to make, and it is a decision that I wish with all of my heart that you didn’t have to make. I want you to know that I will love you no matter what, and I am sure that your dad feels the same way.”

“That is very hard, Mommy.”

“You don’t have to decide now, okay?”

“Mom, what promise did Dad break?”

“Oh… um. When I married your dad, we promised each other that we would love each other and only each other. That’s the promise that he broke.”

“So, he loves someone else?”

“He says that he doesn’t, but they were, um…”

“Was it sex stuff?”

“What? Where did you hear about that kind of thing?”

“Mom, I’m eight! Some of the kids at school talk about sex stuff.”

“Okay, we are definitely going to have to talk about this soon. But not today. Yes, I caught your Dad doing… sex stuff… with another woman.”

“Ew.”

“Sophia. This is important. Just because your dad broke that promise to me, it doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love you. He loves you very much.”

“When do I have to choose?”

“I don’t know. Probably soon, but I don’t know.”

“If I live with Daddy, will I still see you?”

Megan’s heart sank. “Of course, sweetheart. I will see you as much as I can. I don’t know how often, but I promise you that I will see you every chance I get.”

“Would Aunt Tasha come to see me, too?”

“I am sure that she would. I think that she loves you a lot.”

They heard Tasha get out of bed and race to the bedroom door. “Of course I would come see you, Sophia!”

“What about Nocturne?”

“No, not Nocturne. I think that she really likes you, but cats don’t usually like to travel.”

“Maybe I should stay here, then. I like living with Aunt Tasha and Nocturne.”

“You don’t have to decide now, sweetheart. You know what helps me sometimes? I make two lists. On one list, I put down what I like most about one choice, and on the other I write down what I like most about the other choice. Then I compare the lists and see what is most important to me.”

“That makes sense. I’ll do that!”

“Take your time, okay? Maybe you can do that tomorrow after school.”

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