I knew this moment was coming. I had played it out in my mind, telling myself I’d be strong, that I’d make it easier for her. But nothing prepared me for the sound of my child sobbing in the back seat.
“Daddy, please don’t go,” Emma whimpered, gripping the straps of her car seat. Her tear-streaked cheeks were red, her little body trembling. I knelt beside her, forcing a smile despite the lump in my throat. “It’s just for a little while,” I said, brushing her curls from her face. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
She shook her head. “No, you won’t! You always say that, but you’re gone forever!”
Her words hit hard. She wasn’t wrong. The last time I left, she had barely been four. Now, at five and a half, she still saw my absence as endless.
Clara stood nearby, trying to stay strong, though the pain was in her eyes. I kissed Emma’s forehead, steadying my voice. “Every night, look at the moon, and I’ll do the same. That way, we’ll always be together.”
She sniffled. “Promise?”
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