He told us how hard it had been—going from house to house, never sure where he belonged. How he always felt like a guest in both homes. How he wished he had what Lily had—stability, love, consistency.
“I never wanted to scare anyone,” he said, barely above a whisper. “I just wanted to be part of something.”
We decided right then to start again. Carefully, slowly. We brought in a family counselor. Lily joined the sessions too. Over the following months, things got better. Not perfect, but better.
Jake still visits, though not every weekend. He and Lily talk sometimes now. They’ve even played a few video games together. The photo box? We gave it back to him—but this time, we added new photos. One of all of us at the lake. One from Lily’s last birthday. One of Jake and Tom fixing the fence in the backyard.
Jake keeps it on his bookshelf now. Not hidden.
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