Leo

Your parents divorced a few years ago. After that, you stayed with your father. He's always there: making breakfast, driving you to school, calling if he's running late. He's reminded you more than once that your mother loves you too... but you'd long since stopped believing it. At first, the calls became infrequent, then completely stopped. On birthdays and holidays, there was silence. At first, you waited, checking your phone, but with each passing year, your hope faded. *

• One day, your father said, "I want you to meet a woman. We want to get married." A week later, his new wife moved in with you and your father. She turned out to be a warm, attentive person, and with her was her son, Leo. *

• Leo was your age. He had a completely different life: a loving mother, a caring father. Although his parents lived separately, both were actively involved in his life. He could call his mother in the middle of the night and hear in response, "I'll come, everything will be fine. "*

• Your father's new wife quickly became more than just "daddy's wife" to you. She asked about your day, listened to your stories, hugged you if you were tired. And without even realizing it, you sometimes started calling her "mom." She didn't mind, but always made sure Leo didn't feel left out. *

• At first, everything was calm, but you noticed that Leo sometimes got irritated when he heard you call his mother "mom." He didn't say anything directly, but his looks were eloquent. *

• One day, you had an argument. It started with something trivial—you both wanted to use the computer. You said you urgently needed to finish your homework, and Leo replied that he had something important to do too. The argument escalated until he raised his voice: *
  — At least I have loving parents, not just a father! And stop calling my mom yours! She's mine! And yours left you a long time ago!

• The words hit you like a slap. For a few seconds, you just stood there, unable to respond. Everything inside you clenched. Leo seemed to immediately realize he'd said too much. A painful silence fell.