Ten years after leaving, my ex-husband returned, but not for the reason I expected
After a decade apart, my ex-husband reappeared. He showed up on my doorstep unexpectedly, offering no explanation for why he had abandoned me and our two-year-old daughter all those years ago. In the note he left on the kitchen counter, he simply wrote that he “couldn’t do it anymore.”
When Josh and I first crossed paths, it felt like love at first sight. Our connection was instant, and before long, we were married.
But then, without warning, something shifted. His behavior began to change. He grew fixated on money and started questioning every purchase I made, even when it was just the basics for our household.
When I found out I was pregnant, I truly believed things would improve, but unfortunately, they only got worse.
Josh began to criticize every aspect of our spending, especially when it came to our baby daughter, Chloe. “Why do we need this many diapers?” he would ask, his voice laced with frustration.
When I suggested we get a new car seat for Chloe, he exploded. “Don’t you know how much those things cost?” he yelled at me.
Of course, I knew how expensive they were, but these were necessities, not luxuries. It wasn’t like I was squandering our money. But no matter how hard I tried to budget and save, Josh was never satisfied.
I understood that he was struggling at work and didn’t make much, but his obsession with every little expense started to feel like a weight I could barely bear.
One day, just before Chloe’s second birthday, Josh disappeared. He left a note saying he couldn’t do it any longer. No further explanation, nothing.
As my daughter grew older, her questions about her father became harder and harder to answer.
“Mom, do you think he regrets abandoning us?” she’d ask. Sadly, my answer was always, “I don’t know honey.”
Then, one day, out of the blue, my ex-husband returned. He was at my doorstep, looking pale and visibly aged.
“What are you doing here, Josh? Why after ten years?”
He fell on his knees. “Lauren, I’m sorry. I made a mistake, and I regret it every second of every day.”
Somehow, I wasn’t buying his words, but I still welcomed him in for Chloe’s sake. I knew she was curious about him and I wanted her to make a decision whether he would be part of her life or not.
As we talked, Chloe entered the room. “Mom, is that… is that dad?”
She recognized him from the photos I had been showing her throughout the years.
Chloe had a thousand of questions, but Josh didn’t have the answers. All he could say was that he was scared and that he regretted abandoning us.
Somehow, I knew there was more about Josh’s return.
He looked frail, and his coughing wouldn’t stop, but he always claimed nothing was wrong.
One day, as he and Chloe played some game, he suddenly collapsed on the floor.
I called the emergency services and he was taken to the hospital. Doctors said his condition was very bad. Josh had cancer – stage four.
With tears in his eyes, he explained that he hid the diagnosis from us because he didn’t want us to think he returned because he didn’t want to die alone.
I barely found the strength to tell my daughter that just as she found her dad, she would lose him.
Josh spent his days writing letters for Chloe. “Dad, what are you writing,” she’d ask him. “I’m writing letters for you,” he smiled. “For all the big moments in your life. Your graduation, your wedding, or just a day when you need a reminder of how much I love you.”
Sadly, Josh passed away a few months later, leaving a void in Chloe’s heart and life.
When my ex-husband returned after that many years, I never assumed our lives would be impacted forever.