Lisa stayed, an apology etched into every line of her face. She approached cautiously, her hands trembling. “Evelyn, I am so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. I should have told my mother the truth from the beginning.”

There was pain in her voice, a deep sorrow that resonated with me. Despite everything, I could see how fractured she was by the weight of her secret. “Lisa, I don’t know what to say,” I admitted, my fingers gently stroking my son’s cheek. “But this isn’t your fault. You did what you thought you needed to do.”

Tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded. “Thank you, Evelyn. I promise I’ll do whatever I can to make this right, to help you and Marcus.”I gave her a small, tentative smile. “We’ll figure it out.”