After five years together, Greg and Natalie, who had met and married young – too young, maybe, separated.
The love they once felt for one another faded away, and they both knew it would be for the best if they parted ways. Their separation wasn’t a dramatic one. There were no harsh words, no pricey and tiring custody battles, and no hard feelings, just a realization that they weren’t meant for forever.
By the time their divorce was finalized, Greg and Natalie already lived in different states.
However, they stayed in touch and kept things civil for the sake of their son Oliver, who was the center of their both worlds.
Oliver stayed with his mother, but every night, without exception, Natalie called Greg so that he could wish his son goodnight.
Greg only saw Oliver in person for the holidays, but speaking to him over the phone felt as though he was close to him and that sweet ritual became something Greg clung to as it made the separation feel just a little less painful.
The co-parenting things seemed to be working just great, until one evening when Greg received a call from his ex-wife that shattered his world.
As his phone rang and Greg saw Natalie’s name on the screen, he smiled because he was looking forward to those evening calls when he had a chance to chat with Oliver. But this time, it was different. The moment he picked up the phone, he heard Natalie crying and screaming. “Greg, our son is gone!” she yelled through sobs. “What do you mean gone? What happened?” Greg asked, shocked. “Oliver is dead!” Natalie kept repeating until she hung up the phone.
Greg stood at the corner of the room frozen. What he had just heard wasn’t something he could process. His son was dead. His Oliver, who meant the world to him, was no longer alive.
Gathering strength, he called Natalie and asked what happened one more time. But her answer was, “He’s been buried.”
Greg couldn’t understand why no one told him about the tragedy sooner. He wasn’t even given the chance to say one last goodbye and attend the funeral. How could his son simply be buried without anyone letting him know. Sobbing, Natalie said that everything happened too quickly and she couldn’t call him right away.
Somehow, this didn’t make sense.
Determined to get down to the truth, Greg packed a suitcase and bought a ticket to his old town. In the morning, he tried reaching Natalie again, but it was Mike, her new husband, who picked up the phone. His voice sounded strange. Greg knew there was more to the story than his ex wanted him to know.
“Greg, Oliver is alive,” Mike said.
“What? What are you talking about?” Greg whispered, unable to believe what he was hearing.
“Natalie made it all up,” Mike continued, explaining it looked like Natalie was suffering from a nervous breakdown after she convinced herself that Greg wanted to take Oliver from her for good.
Greg told Mike that there was no such a thing, and although Mike trusted Greg, Natalie couldn’t be easily convinced.
Desperate to see his son, Greg still took that trip. The following day, he found himself knocking on Natalie’s door. When she opened it, Greg yelled at her, “How could you do this to me?”
Natalie broke down in tears and started apologizing. It turned out that she was expecting a child and believed that once Greg found out about it, he would fight to take Oliver from her.
“You made me think my son was dead,” Greg said with furry in his voice. “Do you even understand what you’ve done to me?”
He assured Natalie he wasn’t there to take Oliver from her, but he was also not able to forgive her for the lie she came up with.
Greg suggested that the two attend counseling to uncover the reason and resolve the issue that led to such a cruel lie.
Mike was supportive all along, and Greg was glad that if someone stepped in as a father figure in his son’s life it would be someone like Mike, who didn’t hide the truth from him.
This experience and the thought of losing Oliver for good made Greg reconsider his choice of moving places away from his boy. So, once he returned home he started searching for jobs in the area where Oliver and Natalie lived, determined not to let the distance keep him and his son apart.
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