I’m 45. My ex-wife and I were together since our teens, married at 21, and had our son at 22. Over time, we drifted. By the time he was 11, our marriage felt empty—no intimacy, no real conversations—so I ended it. My ex was devastated, and my son took it hard. In his eyes, I’d hurt his mother.
After I moved out, he refused to see me. I tried—showing up to games, sending gifts—but he pushed me away. Therapy didn’t help. Eventually, he told me not to come around at all. I respected his wishes, even though it broke me. It felt like losing him completely. I went through a deep depression before slowly rebuilding my life. I remarried and now have two young children. Things finally felt whole again.
Then, a year ago, I got an email from my son. He apologized. He said becoming a father made him understand what he’d done. He wanted to reconnect.
I read it… and felt nothing.
Since then, he’s sent about 15 emails sharing his life and his child. I haven’t replied. Part of me thinks I owe him closure—but I don’t know if I owe him a second chance.
I’m still deciding what to say… or if I should say anything at all.
