My gut clenched, a quiet alarm ringing that I tried to ignore.

At school, Lucas clutched my hand, his backpack bouncing against his small frame. We walked past colorful murals and bulletin boards until we reached his classroom. I crouched down, kissed his cheek, and whispered, “You’re going to do great.”

Just as I turned to leave, Travis arrived. Disheveled, sunglasses on, coffee in one hand, phone in the other. “I’ll say hi real quick,” he said, brushing past me. I walked away but realized I’d left Lucas’s water bottle in the cubby.

When I returned, I heard the teacher’s voice. “Jamie, sweetheart, can you help me with these papers?” Lucas looked up, smiled, and walked right over. My heart skipped. Jamie?

I froze in the doorway, hidden from view. Travis stood there too—calm, unbothered—as if this wasn’t strange