Simon replied, “And you’re their father.”

PART 3: THE FIRST HONEST CONVERSATION

On Sunday, I placed the screenshot of Brandon’s post, four days of feeding records, and the bank statement on the kitchen table.

His overnight bag waited beside the stairs.

Dawn held Ivy, and Summer sat with Lila.

When Brandon came through the door, he was smiling. The smile vanished when he saw us.

“What is this?”

“Close the door and sit down.”

He noticed the screenshot.

“You humiliated me online.”

“I answered your mother’s question.”

“You made me look like I abandoned you.”

“I didn’t make you look like anything. I stopped hiding what you did.”

“It was only four days.”

“No, Brandon. It was six months. The trip simply made it impossible to ignore.”

I tapped the bank statement.

“You also spent our emergency savings after telling me we could not afford childcare.”

He turned toward his mother.