Nadia advised a process that began with verification of parentage and a court-approved parenting plan shaped around the children’s needs.

There would be no unexpected appearance at their home, no demand to take them away for a weekend, and no assumption that biological connection automatically created trust.

I agreed.

That night, after the children were asleep, I opened a drawer and took out a tiny hospital bracelet.

It belonged to Wren.

Her name had faded at the edges.

The bracelet reminded me of everything Callum had missed: a frightening night when Oliver needed extra oxygen, Jude’s first smile, Wren learning to say “again” whenever she wanted another story.

I wondered what Callum would feel when he learned those things.