Nathaniel looked down at his hands, realizing how empty they felt despite his material wealth. For the first time since his wife’s absence, he understood what he had stolen from his children by providing everything except himself.
“Stay here,” he said abruptly, exiting the room.
When he returned carrying heavy quilts from his own bed, Eliza followed him back to the living room. She watched as he knelt on the floor, awkward and unsure, covering his sons with trembling hands.
“They’re so small,” he murmured, his voice unsteady. “I forgot.”
A New Covenant
A single tear fell as he brushed a tiny cheek, and he confessed aloud, “I was afraid to look at them because they remind me of her. But avoiding them only made me fail.”
Turning to Eliza, his voice steady but transformed, he said, ” Starting today, things will be different. You will be their primary caregiver, with proper salary and support. And that man will never be welcomed in this house again.”
She covered her mouth, not due to the financial offer, but because someone had finally truly seen her.