I said nothing. I just waited.
He sank onto the couch. “She changed after we got married. Controlling. Secretive. She didn’t want me talking to you. She said you were trying to manipulate me.” He paused. “I was stupid.”
“No,” I corrected. “You were scared.”
He looked up, eyes glassy. “I miss you, Mom.”
Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out something small.
The real ring.
“She mailed it back to me yesterday,” he said, voice tight. “With a note that said it didn’t sell, might as well give it back to your mommy.”
The moment my fingers closed around it, I felt whole again.
Jacob told me Ellie had left him, said he was dragging her down. She had moved in with someone from work. She had been cheating on him for months.
He sat forward and looked at me. “I’ll do anything to make it right.”
I slid the trust paperwork toward him.
“Then start with this,” I said.
He read it, eyes widening. “You’re still giving this to me.”
“If you file for divorce and go to therapy,” I said. “And there’s one more condition.”
He looked up.