She ended the call.
I’d never encouraged anyone to abandon her social media accounts. I’d only revealed the family she’d hidden from her audience for a decade.
What mattered most, however, was Sophie’s reaction.
“Dad, people are saying nice things about us.”
“Some people are.”
“One lady said our family looks happy.”
“We are happy.”
“Even without Mom?”
I smiled.
“Especially when nobody’s making you feel guilty for being here.”
Three days later, Vanessa appeared at my workshop.
“Daniel, please. We could record a reconciliation video. It would help both of us.”
“Would you apologize to the children without cameras?”
She hesitated.
“That wouldn’t fix my reputation.”
“Then there’s nothing to discuss.”
She continued arguing briefly, but eventually understood I wouldn’t reconsider and walked away.
For years, I’d believed shielding my children meant keeping quiet. I finally recognized that sometimes it required speaking up.
