I Lost My Fifth Child After My Husband Left Me for My Younger Sister – At Their Wedding, My 9-Year-Old Daughter Did Something He Never Expected

I stopped several feet away.

Ryan rubbed his hands together.Family Law

“Why didn’t you tell me you were upset?”

“You didn’t ask.”

“I ask you things all the time.”

“You ask if school was good.”

Ryan stopped.

“You ask if I like Aunt Lina’s apartment.”

Silence.

“You ask if dinner tastes good.”

Her voice became smaller.

“You don’t ask if I’m mad.”

That hit him.

I saw it.

For once, Ryan didn’t immediately defend himself.

After a moment, he asked:

“Are you mad at me?”

Amelia nodded.

Once.

“Yes.”

Ryan looked down.

Then back at her.

“Okay.”

That surprised me.

No lecture.

No explanation about adult relationships.

No “you’ll understand when you’re older.”

Just:

Okay.

Then Amelia noticed me.

“Mom!”

She dropped the candle and ran.

I barely had time to crouch before she crashed into me.

“Mom.”

“I’ve got you.”Weddings

Her arms tightened around my neck.

“I ruined Dad’s wedding.”

“No.”

“I did.”

I pulled back.

“You got upset.”

“They stopped everything.”

“That doesn’t mean you ruined anything.”

She wiped her eyes.

“I didn’t want everyone staring.”

“I know.”

“I just didn’t understand.”

“I know.”

Ryan stood several feet behind her.

“Annie.”

I looked at him.

“Not yet.”

He nodded.

Then Amelia said something I wasn’t expecting.

“Everybody keeps saying there were seven of us.”

I frowned.

“What?”

“Our family.”

She started counting on her fingers.

“You.”

One.

“Dad.”

Two.

“Me.”

Three.

Then her siblings.

Four.

Five.

Six.

She stopped.Family

Her little forehead wrinkled.

“But there was going to be one more.”

Nobody spoke.

My heart broke all over again.

Amelia looked at Ryan.

“Does the baby still count?”

Ryan’s face changed.

I looked away because suddenly I couldn’t bear to watch him.

He crouched in front of her.

“Yes.”

Amelia studied him.

“Even though the baby died?”

“Yes.”

His voice cracked.

“The baby still counts.”

Amelia nodded.

That was apparently all she needed.

Then the garden door opened.

Lina stepped outside.

My sister.

In her wedding dress.

She approached slowly.

“Amelia?”

My daughter moved closer to me.

Lina stopped.

“I’m sorry you got upset.”

Amelia frowned.

“I’m not trying to replace your mom.”

“Then why do you say you’re my new mom?”

Lina blinked.

“I said bonus mom.”

“That’s still mom.”

Nobody corrected her.

Then Amelia asked the same question she’d asked me that morning.