That night, the house felt unusually heavy with silence.
Maya walked in to find her parents softly coaxing Noah to eat his dinner. He sat at the table, head down, pushing food around his plate. It wasn't like him. Her son, normally curious and chatty, looked... dimmed.
She didn't press him.
Noah quietly excused himself and went to his room.
Later, after putting away her things, Maya knocked lightly on his door and stepped in. He was at his small desk, scribbling math equations in his notebook, his brows furrowed.
"Oh? Looks like my little prince enjoys school now," Maya teased gently, walking over to sit beside him. "Learning new things, huh?"
Noah kept his eyes on the paper. His voice was barely above a whisper. "Yes, Mom."
Maya's heart sank.
"Noah? What happened?" she asked, her voice softening. "Can't you look at me and talk?"
Noah finally turned. His big eyes were glassy, and when he blinked, a tear slipped down.
"Mom..." he started, his lips trembling. "Today our teacher asked us to draw our family. I drew us, just you and me. But then she asked me... where my father is. I... I didn't know what to say. So I told her... we don't need a father in our family."
His voice cracked as more tears slid down. "But Mom... am I being selfish? I know Father hurt you a lot, but..."
He choked up, then threw his arms around her, sobbing into her chest. "I'm sorry, Mom... I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."
Maya felt her own tears spring up. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, rubbing his back.
"No, baby. No," she whispered through her tears. "You don't have to be sorry. You've done nothing wrong. Look at me."
She gently cupped his face, wiping his cheeks with her thumbs.
"Noah... if you ever want to meet your father, I'll arrange it. It's your right, sweetheart. I would never stop you from choosing what you want. But... I also need you to understand something."
She lowered her face to meet his eyes.
"This is real life. Your dad and I... we're not getting back together. Just like I won't control your choices, you can't expect me to return to someone who broke me, okay?"
Noah nodded slowly, sniffling. "Yes, Mom... And I never said I want him back. I just... felt different today. Everyone else had fathers. And..." He paused. "But you're enough for me, Mom. That's the truth."
Maya smiled, pulling him into another hug. "And you're more than enough for me."
He nuzzled into her shoulder. "Oh—and there's this boy, Henry. He got called by the teacher too. He drew his uncle in the picture."
Maya chuckled, ruffling his hair. "Maybe his uncle's a great person for him."
"Oh! And Mom," Noah said suddenly, blushing, "The teacher asked to meet you tomorrow."
"Alright. Nothing to worry about," Maya said. "Now go brush and come to bed. Let's sleep together tonight."
"Really?!" Noah beamed, dashing to the bathroom.
---
Meanwhile, at Ethan Cole's home
Henry lay beside Ethan on the large bed, arms tucked under his head.
"Uncle," he began, "today... that boy Noah and I were called by the teacher."
Ethan glanced over. "Noah? The one you're always trying to compete with?"
Henry nodded. "Yeah... I always thought he was too perfect. Smart, always first, kind of looks down on me."
Ethan raised a brow. "Looks down on you?"
"Well... not in a mean way, but like... like he's older or something. I mean, he even talks like an adult. He introduces himself like, 'I'm Noah, I know this.'" Henry mimicked in a deep voice, making Ethan chuckle.
"But today... he said something that surprised me."
Ethan waited.
Henry turned on his side to face him. "Our teacher asked us to draw our families. I drew you."
Ethan looked surprised. "Me?"
Henry smiled. "Yeah, because you are my family. Mom and Dad doesn't care about me and don't even know what grade I'm in, what I like, what I hate. But you do. You love me, Uncle. That's why I drew you."
Ethan swallowed hard, deeply touched. He ruffled Henry's hair and pulled him in for a hug. "You're my family too, Henry. And I'll talk to your parents soon."
"Okay," Henry said. "Oh, and—before I forget. Noah said something weird."
"Weird?"
"Yeah... when the teacher asked him about his dad, he said he doesn't have one. He said his mom is enough for him. And honestly... she sounds cool. But then—he said his full name."
Ethan tilted his head. "Which is?"
Henry paused dramatically. "Noah Sinclair."
Ethan's entire body tensed.
His hand froze mid-motion. His jaw locked. A shadow passed over his face.
"…Sinclair?" he repeated, voice low and dangerous.
Henry blinked. "Uh... yeah?"