A year later, the twins moved around the furniture, stole each other’s toys, and laughed through a home that no longer depended on Diego’s approval. He visited three times a week, learned bottles, diapers, and bedtime routines, and slowly discovered that fatherhood meant consistency rather than tears beside an ultrasound screen. Laura did not teach the children to hate him, but she never offered him false hope about their marriage. When he asked whether she still loved him, she explained that love without trust was not a home, only a
