He paced for an hour, the silence from the guest room more damning than any scream. «Leo?» he called. Nothing. He went to the door, his heart hammering. «Leo!»
He opened it. The room was empty. The bed was made. Panic, pure and cold, seized him. He ran through the apartment. «Leo!»
He saw the sliding glass door to the small balcony was cracked open. The wind howled. Mark ripped the door open. Leo was huddled in the corner, shivering violently, his arms wrapped around his knees, staring into the night.
– Leo! Jesus! What are you doing? You’ll freeze to death!
He pulled the boy, who was stiff and unresponsive, back inside.
– It doesn’t matter.
Leo’s voice was dull, lifeless. Mark grabbed an afghan from the sofa and wrapped it tightly around him.
– I’ll be ready for them tomorrow.
Mark’s heart broke.
– Leo… I… I’m sorry. I was… cruel. I didn’t mean it.
– It’s okay.
Leo whispered, not looking at him.
– It was the truth.
– No.
Mark said, his voice thick.
– Go to bed. Please. Just… get warm.
Leo, wrapped in the blanket, shuffled back to the room. Mark, shattered, retreated to his office. He didn’t know what to do. His eyes fell on a small, polished mahogany box on his bookshelf. It was Sarah’s. He’d never had the strength to open it.
He took it down. Inside, beneath some photos and her grandmother’s locket, was a single thumb drive. It was labeled, in her handwriting: “FOR MARK.”
He plugged it into his laptop. A single video file. He clicked it.
Sarah’s face filled the screen. She was in their old living room, the sun hitting her hair. She looked beautiful, and so very tired. His breath caught.
– Mark… my love.
Her voice, a sound he hadn’t heard in five years, filled the room.
– If you’re seeing this, it means you’ve found Leo. And it means I’m gone.
She took a shaky breath.
– Please… don’t be angry. I tried… so many times, Mark. But you were always… on a different plane. The next deal, the next project. I was so proud of you, but I was also… so lonely. And then I found him. At the shelter. He’s… he’s special, Mark. He’s been through so much. He just needs a place to land. I was going to tell you. I swear I was. The day the adoption was final… I was going to surprise you… with our son.
She smiled, tears in her eyes.
– I know you don’t think you have this in you. You, the confirmed bachelor I had to trick into marrying me. But you do. You’re the kindest man I’ve ever known, you just… you just hide it. Please, Mark. Don’t let him go. Love doesn’t have to be blood. It just has to be… chosen.
The video ended. The screen went dark. Mark was sobbing, a dry, ragged sound he hadn’t made since the funeral. The betrayal was gone, washed away by a crushing, profound regret. He knew what Sarah had been trying to give him. Not just a son, but a lifeline.
He went to Leo’s room. The door was cracked. He pushed it open. The boy was asleep, fitfully, still in his clothes. Mark stood there, watching him breathe, his resolve hardening into something new, something solid.
He waited until morning. He woke Leo gently. The boy’s first reaction was defense.
– Are they here?
– No.
Mark said, his voice soft.
– And they’re not coming.
Leo stared, confused.
– What?
– I called David. I told him to cancel the meeting with the Millers. I… I made a mistake, Leo. I was wrong. I want you to stay.
Leo’s eyes filled with a terrifying, fragile hope.
– For how long?
Mark sat on the edge of the bed.
– For… for good. If you’ll have me.
The days that followed were awkward. Mark didn’t know how to «be» a dad. He made pancakes; they burned. He bought video games; he didn’t know how to hook them up. Leo watched him with the wariness of a skittish animal, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
A week later, Mark came home early from work and found Leo at the kitchen island, drawing with a large set of art supplies Mark had bought on impulse.
– That’s good. What is it?
Leo pointed with a green crayon.
– That’s Sarah. And that’s me.
Mark looked at the third figure, a tall, stick-figure man standing off to the side.
– And him?
Leo shrugged.
– Just… a man.
Mark cleared his throat, his heart pounding.
– Leo… I’m calling David today. I’m… I’m going to adopt you. Officially. To make you… my son.
The crayon snapped in two. Leo looked up, his face a mask of utter vulnerability.
– You… you mean it?
– I’ve never meant anything more.
A tiny, fragile smile touched Leo’s lips.
Mark took Leo to David’s office to sign the initial «intent to adopt» papers. The entire ride, Leo was vibrating with anxiety.
– Are you sure?
– I’m sure, Leo.
– People… they change their minds.
Mark pulled the truck over to the curb, right in front of the lawyer’s office, and put it in park. He turned to the boy.
– I will not change my mind. You are not going anywhere. This is your home now. Got it?
Leo nodded, but his eyes were still shadowed with a lifetime of doubt.
That night, Mark woke at 3 AM. A prickle of wrongness. The loft was too silent. He got out of bed and went to Leo’s room.
It was empty. The bed was made, neatly. The new clothes Mark had bought were folded on the chair. The boy, and his old, tattered backpack, were gone.
Pure, cold panic. Mark threw on his shoes, didn’t bother with a coat, and ran for the elevator. He burst onto the street. The pre-dawn air was frigid. He looked left, then right. There. A small figure, walking determinedly toward the bus station two blocks away.
– Leo!
Mark sprinted, his dress shoes slipping on the icy sidewalk. He grabbed the boy’s shoulder, spinning him around.
– What are you doing?! Where the hell are you going?
Leo was terrified, but his face was set in grim resignation.
– I’m leaving.
– We just signed the papers! Why?
Leo’s voice broke, tears freezing on his cheeks.
– Because… because it’s too good! You’re gonna wake up one day and… and realize you made a mistake! It’s better if I go now! Before… before it hurts more.
Mark’s anger evaporated, replaced by an overwhelming, protective sorrow. He dropped to his knees on the freezing pavement and pulled the boy into a crushing hug.
– You listen to me.
His voice was hoarse.
– You are done running. I am not leaving you. I will never leave you. You are my son. This is over.
Leo hesitated for one, agonizing second, then he collapsed against Mark, clinging to him and sobbing, all his fear and pain finally pouring out. Mark held him tightly, stroking his hair, shielding him from the wind.
– I’ve got you. I’ve got you, son.
