And I had told her to stop making it difficult for me.

“I failed you,” I choked out, and I covered my face with my hands, unable to look at either of them.

“I failed both of you so badly.”

Chapter 17 — You Came Back for Us

And then I felt two pairs of tiny hands pull my fingers gently away from my face.

Valeria and Sofia had climbed onto the sofa on either side of me, and they wrapped their small arms around me, and held on.

“You came back, Daddy,” Sofia whispered, resting her head against my chest.