I heard my daughter whisper "I miss you, Daddy" on the phone – I buried her father 18 years ago

I looked up at Susie, my throat tight with disbelief and betrayal.

"How did you find it?" I asked softly.

Outcome.

"I found him online several months ago. I didn't want to tell you. Not until I realized he really wanted to talk to me."

My heart broke.

“Do you want to keep talking to him?” I asked after a long moment.

"Yes. I want to know why he did it. I want to hear it from his own lips," Susie said, a tear rolling down her cheek.

“Okay,” I replied slowly, swallowing my bitterness.

Two days later, I called Charles. He answered immediately, as if he'd been waiting for me.

“We need to meet,” I said.

We chose a bar.

He was already there when I arrived.

Older. Thinner. His face was lined with fatigue. His eyes were sunken and dark, as if only regret had kept him awake for years.

It seemed normal. Ordinary.