Chapter 6 - MICHAEL
Michael struggled more than he admitted.
For years, he had believed our divorce was about us.
And it was.
His long absences.
My resentment.
Communication.
Money.
But suddenly he had to revisit the foundation.
Was infertility part of why he became distant?
Had he sensed something?
Had my parents known more than he did?
He went to therapy.
So did I.
Then we had the conversation we avoided.
“Do you still feel like Sophie’s father?”
Michael looked offended.
“Yes.”
“Sorry.”
“No. I get why you asked.”
He rubbed his face.
“I changed diapers. I walked her around the apartment at three in the morning. I taught her how to swim. I signed every school form.”
“I know.”
He looked at me.
“The DNA tells me something happened to us. It doesn’t tell me I didn’t parent her.”
That became the language we later used with Sophie.
Not:
Blood doesn’t matter.
Blood matters medically.
Historically.
Personally.
But it is not the only truth.
Michael remained Dad.
Thomas was biological progenitor.
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Those were different categories.
Sophie did not need one erased for the other to exist.
