I Went to Apologize to My Ex-Wife on Christmas Eve. Then a Seven-Year-Old Boy Opened a Door I Thought Was Closed Forever

We watched the light fade over the houses while a neighbor carried trash bins to the curb.

“I used to think seeing you again would bring back everything I wanted to forget,” she said.

“And some of it has.

But you’re not acting the way you used to.”

“I’ve had seven years to regret how I acted.”

“Regret isn’t always the same as change.”

“No,” I agreed.

“It isn’t.”