I had no idea how I felt. Angry? Comfort? Maybe a mix of the two.

I felt my breath catch in my throat as I watched them fade behind the crowds. I wasn’t expecting to see them back together, like a family. There were a thousand questions going through my mind, and most of them were too painful to ask. Why did he come here? Why didn’t he tell me about this get-together with our daughter?

The worst part, though? I felt like I was left out. I no longer felt like I belonged in that scene. The picture I always had in my mind of my family was now broken into pieces, with him and her—my daughter—standing in the frame that used to be mine.

Joe had been gone for almost a year. Lily, our daughter, was only five years old at the time, and I worried that she might not even remember her dad the same way. But it was clear she hadn’t forgotten anything when I saw them together today. At that moment, I understood that she was still his daughter, even though I had tried to keep her from feeling the pain of his death. No matter how easy it was for him to leave, she still wanted and needed him.

I stood there with a lot of different feelings going through my head: anger, hurt, and a heavy feeling of loss that got heavier as time went on. Jason was my rock. I knew he would always be there for me. But he left when things got tough. He said it was for “his career,” which was the same job he had always loved, but I thought it was just an excuse. A simple way out.

I was at the airport, though, watching him hold our daughter’s hand with the same love I had felt when he held mine. Even though I knew it was stupid, I still wanted to yell at him. When things went wrong a few months ago and he told me he wasn’t sure he could handle his family duties, I wanted to drag him back to that time. He felt “trapped” by our life together.

He’d left, and I stayed, trying to keep everything together for our daughter.

I tried to ignore the pain by taking a deep breath. Watching them get back together was a strange and uncontrolled feeling. A small part of me couldn’t help but be happy for Lily, though. It had been months since she had asked for him. It was clear that she missed him.

I tried to stay calm as I watched them get on their flight. They came back, and I had no idea what to expect. But I couldn’t let that break me. I couldn’t let the past decide what would happen next.

It was the same old thing I did every day. While I worked and took care of Lily, I tried to control my feelings. But there was a touch every day to remind them. Everything that Lily did, from drawing a picture of Jason for him to saying she missed her dad, made me feel bad.

I chose to call him one afternoon. I wasn’t going to wait for him to come to me because I needed to know what was going on. It was important for me to know what was going on and if this reunion was more than just a short stay.

“Hey, Jay.” “It’s me.”

“Hey, nice to hear from you. “How is Lily?”

“I need to talk to you about something, but she’s okay.”

The other person spoke for a moment, and then he spoke again. “Thank you for calling.” I wished I could talk to you.

“What about?” I didn’t mean for my voice to be sharp, but it was. I didn’t mean to sound mad, but I did.

“I’m sorry for what I did.” For everything. I know I should have done something different.

I was shocked. Say sorry? He had never really said sorry. Not right away.

“Jason, I don’t want you to say sorry.” I need to know what this means. What do you do after you show up and hang out with Lily? Are you going to return? Are we back together as a family? “Or is this just a stop on the way to where you need to go next?”

I could tell he wasn’t sure. “I’m not sure yet.” Even though I don’t know what will happen, I want to be a better dad to Lily. I’m sorry for all the things I missed, and I don’t want to keep whining. But I’m not sure about us. About how we’re together.

My heart was beating faster and slower. Not sure about us?

I know you didn’t just leave me, Jason. You stopped being with your daughter. Do you think she doesn’t see? You are what she wants. And you just… you show up like everything is okay? Do you think you can pick up where we left off?”

We were both quiet for a long time; it seemed like nothing could be said. He finally spoke again, but this time his voice was lower.

“I’m sorry I did that.” I know that a few trips won’t be enough to fix everything. I want to try, though. At least I want to make things right with Lily.

A tiny bit of hope came to me. Just maybe, this was the beginning of something. Jake might be able to come back into our lives as the father Lily needs instead of just the person who ran away when things got tough.

But that hope was quickly dashed when he went on.

“I met someone too,” he said in a low voice. “I believe she is the one.” I don’t know what that means for us… I want to tell you the truth, though.

I was hit hard by the words. He had met someone else? He was already moving on?

He said, “I didn’t mean to hurt you, but I can’t keep hiding this.” “I need to move on.”

I was ready to scream. I almost cried. Instead, I sat there in quiet and didn’t feel anything.

I kept thinking about what Jason had said after we were done talking. He was ready to go. He was going to be Lily’s dad, but not for our family.

That’s when the twist happened. Sometime after a few weeks, I saw someone at the shop. It was the woman Jason had been seeing. Claire was her name. She must have seen the same pain in my eyes that I must have had when I found out about her. But she didn’t avoid me. Instead, she smiled softly and said, “I know this is hard for you.” I hope you get it, though. He’s not the same person he used to be. I want to make sure he doesn’t miss out on the important things.

Something changed inside me at that moment. It would have been easy for me to be angry, bitter, and spiteful, but I did something great. The past wasn’t something I needed to hold on to. I could get better the more I let go of the pain.

After a month, Jason called me, which was a strange turn of events. I thought he was still lost when he said something that caught me off guard.

“I’ve chosen to hang out with Lily more.” I want to be with her, even if it’s not you. “What I did is over, but I can still try to be a good dad.”

I realized something very important at that very moment. People need to go through their own problems and travels from time to time in order to understand what’s important. Jason might not have come back to our family the way I thought he would, but he was finally there for Lily when she needed him to be. That might have been enough.

I finally came to terms with the fact that I didn’t need him to be whole. I could make a future for Lily and myself that didn’t depend on him. That was the real win in the end.

If you’re going through something similar, like a tough split, a relationship that’s not getting along, or just trying to figure out how to move on, remember this: you can’t change the past, but you can change how you deal with it. Don’t let other people’s mistakes make you who you are. Take charge of your story and make it one that people will want to hear.

Tell someone who might need to hear this that letting go has made you stronger. No matter what, we all deserve to move on. We can do it together.