Dear Son, I Didn’t Leave—They Pushed Me Out If you're reading this one day, I want you to know the truth. Not the version passed around by whispers, not the courtroom narrative, and definitely not the bedtime stories that painted me as the villain. I didn’t leave you. I was pushed out. You were never the problem. You were the reason I stayed longer than my heart could bear. I remember holding you for the first time. That moment changed me. It gave me a reason to fight harder, love deeper, and dream bigger. But as the years went by, the love between your mother and me began to fade. Not because I didn’t try. I tried, son. God knows I tried. I stayed when the home became hostile. I stayed when I wasn’t listened to. I stayed when I felt like a stranger in the house I was building. And then one day, I was told it was better if I left. Better for the peace. Better for the child. Better for her. But not once did anyone ask what was better for you. You didn’t see the nights I sat in my car outside, just to be near the house. You didn’t hear the calls I made that went unanswered. You didn’t know how I memorized your school schedule just to drive by and feel like I still existed in your world. They said I left. They said I gave up. They said I moved on. But you were always with me. In my thoughts. In my prayers. In every decision I made. You didn’t see the courtrooms where I begged to be in your life. You didn’t see the letters I wrote that were never passed on. You didn’t see how every month I sent support and got silence in return. They turned fatherhood into a transaction. They made love look like obligation. But I never stopped being your dad. If you ever wondered why I wasn’t at your birthday... It’s because I wasn’t allowed. If you ever asked why I didn’t call more... It’s because I was blocked. If you thought I didn’t care... Son, it’s because someone worked very hard to make you believe that. And maybe you’re angry. I understand. Maybe you don’t want to read this. That’s okay too. But one day, when life gets quieter and your questions get louder, I hope this letter finds you. Because the truth is: I never stopped choosing you. Not for one second. Love, Dad Elonaires