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His uniform was gone, replaced by a wrinkled polo.
Before signing, he looked at Noah, who was standing beside me.
"Let me keep Noah... He always wanted to be a firefighter like his dad. I can teach him..."
Noah took a step back, hiding behind my leg. His eyes were filled with disappointment.
Michael reached out, his hand freezing in mid-air.
"Noah... it's Daddy..."
Noah frowned his little brow.
"Daddy is a bad man... Daddy lied to Mommy... Daddy didn't save Noah... Daddy saved Auntie Amanda's son!
"Daddy isn't a superhero! Daddy is... is..."
He searched for the word.
"Daddy is a liar!"
Michael's breath hitched.
I pulled Noah close.
"Noah used to worship you, Michael. But that was only because I told him you loved him."
Michael's eyes reddened.
"I do love him... Emily, I loved you both... that wasn't a lie..."
"Does it matter?"
"What?"
"Does love that is only spoken matter? Did you expect us to live in your fantasy forever?"
"No... Emily... I..."
"Stop it, Michael." I stood up. "If you love us like you say, sign the papers. Let us move on."
Michael held his head in his hands for a long time. Finally, with a trembling hand, he signed.
I took the papers and grabbed my suitcase.
"I sold the UWS apartment. The buyers move in next week. Your stuff is in storage. I emailed you the code."
I walked Noah to the elevator.
"Mom," Noah looked up. "I don't want to be a firefighter anymore."
I crouched down. "Why not?"
"Because... firefighters lie."
I stroked his hair.
"Not all firefighters lie, baby. Many are true heroes. Your dad... he just made some very bad choices."
"Can I be a different kind of hero?"
"You can be whatever hero you want."
"Then I want to be... a hero who doesn't lie. A hero who saves everyone, not just the people he likes."
My eyes misted over.
I hugged him tight.
"Okay. My little hero."
