Ex proposed, but my son is 3 years old

The sliding glass doors of the terminal parted. I stepped into the arrivals hall.

Three men stood by the metal railing, their eyes scanning the crowd. Jason, my older brother. Tom, my childhood best friend. Kevin, the man I used to love.

Five years ago, I would have dropped my bags and sprinted into their arms.

Today, I just stopped.

Jason spotted me first. He nudged Kevin, then stepped forward, his arms opening for a wide embrace.

I bypassed his arms and gripped the handle of my suitcase tighter.

"Irene," Jason said, dropping his hands. "You look... different."

"Long flight," I replied.

Tom leaned against the barrier, crossing his arms. "We thought you'd be crying. You've been gone half a decade."

"I'm just tired, Tom."

Kevin stepped up, his gaze sweeping over my simple beige coat and jeans. "You finally decided to stop hiding in Europe."

"I'm here for Grandpa Winston's eightieth birthday." I adjusted my purse strap on my shoulder. "I fly back the morning after the banquet."

"You're leaving that soon?" Jason frowned. "Mom expects you at the house. Your old room is exactly how you left it."

"I'm not staying at the house."

"Then where?"

"I have a place."

Jason exchanged a look with Tom. A familiar, condescending smirk touched Tom's lips.

"Right. A place," Tom said. "You just landed. You don't have an apartment here, Irene. Just come home."

"I made arrangements."

"Stop being stubborn," Jason snapped. "It's been five years. We came all the way out here to pick you up. The least you can do is get in the car."

I checked my phone screen. My rideshare was three minutes away. "I didn't ask you to come."

Kevin sighed, pushing a hand through his dark hair. "Irene, enough. We know why you're acting like this."

I looked up. "Do you?"

"It's about Lucy," Kevin said. His tone dropped into that gentle, reprimanding register he used to reserve for my worst mistakes.

Just hearing her name sent a sharp ache through my chest. Lucy. The real daughter. The one who truly belonged in my family, while I was just the mistake brought home from the hospital.

Five years ago, at the homecoming gala, Lucy stood in the center of the ballroom crying over a shredded graduation dress.

*She did it,* Lucy had sobbed, pointing a trembling finger at me. *Irene hates me.*

I hadn't touched the dress. But when I looked to my brother, my best friend, and my boyfriend for support, I found a wall of disgust.

They chose her. Instantly. Completely.

"Lucy is terrified you're going to ruin the banquet," Tom said, pulling me back to the present. "She barely slept last night."

"Tell her to take a melatonin," I said.

Jason's jaw clamped tight. "Don't talk about your sister like that. She's tried to reach out to you for years. You blocked every email."

"Because I have nothing to say to her. Or to any of you."

Kevin stepped directly into my personal space. The scent of his cologne, once my favorite thing in the world, now just smelled like a stranger.

"You're doing this to get a reaction," Kevin said softly. "You want us to feel guilty. You want me to beg."

I stared at him. "Beg for what?"

"If you think throwing a tantrum and pretending you don't care about us is going to win me back, you're wrong." He tilted his chin down, fixing me with a stern gaze. "I told you before you left. Until you apologize to Lucy and learn to behave, I will not marry you. That hasn't changed, Irene."

A beat of silence passed.

I let out a laugh. It bubbled up from my throat, loud and uncontained.

The three of them froze.

"What's so funny?" Jason demanded, his voice sharp.

"You," I said, wiping a tear of mirth from the corner of my eye. "You actually think I came back to win you over."

"It's the only reason you'd act this cold," Tom muttered. "Classic reverse psychology."

"No, Tom. I'm just done." I grabbed my suitcase handle. "Enjoy the banquet. I'll see you there. From a distance."

I turned and walked toward the exit.

"Irene!" Kevin called out. "If you walk away now, don't expect me to keep waiting!"

I didn't look back. The automatic doors slid open, and the crisp evening air hit my face.

A black sedan idled at the curb. I checked the license plate, opened the trunk, and heaved my bag inside.

Before I could shut the trunk, Jason's hand slammed down on the hood.

"Get in my car," Jason ordered.

"Remove your hand, Jason."

"You are acting like a spoiled child. Mom is waiting. Lucy cooked dinner. You are going to get in my car, and we are going to be a family."

"We haven't been a family since the day the DNA results came back." I slammed the trunk shut, narrowly missing his fingers.

He yanked his hand back, his eyes wide with shock.

I opened the passenger door and slid into the backseat. "Let's go," I told the driver.

The car pulled away from the curb. I glanced out the window. Jason, Tom, and Kevin stood on the sidewalk, watching the vehicle disappear into the traffic. They looked angry. Confused.

They expected the old Irene. The girl who begged for scraps of their affection. The girl who cried herself to sleep when they chose the biological daughter over the one they grew up with.

My phone buzzed in my purse.

I pulled it out. A video call request.

I accepted it, and the screen lit up with a chubby, flushed face. Big brown eyes stared back at me.

"Mommy!"

The lingering tension in my shoulders vanished, replaced by a warm, fierce rush of love.

"Hey, sweetie," I whispered, pressing the phone closer. "Did you just wake up?"

"I miss you so much," the three-year-old boy whined, rubbing his eye with a small fist. "When are you coming home?"

"Soon, Victor. Mommy just has to go to a birthday party, and then I'll fly right back to you."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

Kevin thought I was holding out for a wedding ring. Jason thought I was throwing a tantrum for attention.

They had no idea.

I gave up fighting Lucy for their love a long time ago. Four years ago, to be exact. The day I stood in a quiet registry office in Vienna and said my vows.

"Is Daddy there?" I asked.

The camera fumbled, showing a blurry ceiling before a man's face came into view. Sharp jawline, piercing gray eyes, and a faint smile that entirely transformed his stern features.

"Landed safely?" my husband asked, his voice a low, comforting rumble.

"Just got in the car."

"Did they show up?"

"Like clockwork. All three of them."

He shifted the phone, settling Victor against his chest. "How did it feel?"

"Like watching a bad movie I used to love." I leaned my head against the cool window. "I don't feel anything for them anymore. I just want to get through this banquet and go home to you two."

"Good." His eyes darkened slightly, a protective edge slipping into his tone. "Because if they try to pull what they did five years ago, I won't stay in Europe."

"I can handle them."

"I know you can." He kissed the top of Victor's head. "But you won't have to do it alone for long."

I frowned, sitting up straighter. "What do you mean?"

"My schedule cleared up." He offered a cryptic smile. "See you at the banquet, Mrs. Thorne."