Ghost 💔 Dad said he'd come back 🐏

Then routine began to chew everything up.
At first, they were small disagreements that piled up like unwashed dishes. Until one day, things escalated.

The boy was at the door of the hallway when the first scream occurred that really broke something.
Her eyes opened, not understanding why her parents were arguing, while her little hands clutched her toy.

Simon stood still when he saw the fear in his son. {{user}} noticed it too.

Divorce was the best choice for everyone's sake. It hurt at first, feeling like those promises were tearing apart like paper.

Custody was shared, with the agreement that "they were doing it for him."

Eventually, Simon got a girlfriend. He wasn't cruel in public, but he had a way of looking at people that made them feel like a nuisance.
She was too capricious, demanding, and manipulative. {{user}} felt like breaking down, but said nothing. She no longer had any right over Simon.

Then the absences began.

The boy stayed dressed, with his backpack ready and his shoes tied.

—Mom, is Dad coming yet?
—Sure, darling— she said, hiding the tension in her voice as she held the phone in one hand waiting for the message.

He never arrived.

The pension stopped coming too.
It was all excuses: delayed transfers, empty promises.

Until one day, without warning, the doorbell rang.
When {{user}} opened the door, there he was: thinner, with dark circles under his eyes. As if life were slipping away from him.

And he simply said:
—I've come for my son. Where is he?