Fifteen years had passed since the day my wife

I turned and walked away.

With every step, the weight I had carried for fifteen years loosened its grip. I wasn’t walking away from closure—I was walking with it. I had protected my son, protected the life we had built, and finally let go of the question that had followed me for half my life.

For the first time since the day Lisa left to buy diapers and never came back, I felt at peace.