Greg thought he and Natalie had figured out the whole co-parenting thing—until a late-night phone call shattered that illusion with news he never saw coming.

Five years. That’s how long Natalie and I were together before we finally called it quits.

I think we both knew it was coming, even if we never said it out loud. We met when we were young—too young, maybe.

And by the time the excitement wore off and real life set in, we just… stopped trying. It wasn’t dramatic. No big fights.

Just the slow realization that maybe we weren’t meant for forever.

Now, we live in different states. Different lives, really. The only thing that ties us together is Oliver—our three-year-old son. That kid is my whole world.

I get him during the holidays, which is something, but it’s not enough. It’’s never enough.

But I wasn’t willing to turn things ugly. We didn’t need lawyers involved or a bitter custody battle.

Natalie and I both agreed on that. Oliver didn’t deserve to grow up in a house where his parents were constantly at each other’s throats.

That’s why we kept things civil. Every evening, without fail, she’d video call me so I could say goodnight to Oliver.

It became a ritual, something I looked forward to. Just seeing his little face light up, hearing him say “Night, Daddy,” before he went off to bed—it made everything feel a little less broken.

Everything was… fine. We were making it work until I got that call.

“Greg!” Natalie’s voice came through the phone, but it wasn’t her usual calm tone. No, this time, she was crying. No—screaming. “Greg, our son’s gone!”

I froze. “What do you mean, gone?”

“Oliver is dead!” she yelled, the words stabbing straight through me.

I couldn’t even process it. “What? What are you talking about? How?”

Natalie was sobbing so hard it was hard to make out her words. “He’s—he’s just gone. Oh my God, Greg…”

I sank to the floor, feeling the weight of her words crush me. This couldn’t be happening. Not Oliver. Not my boy.

“I’ll be there. I’m coming right now,” I said, scrambling to my feet, my voice shaking.

“No,” she choked out. “Don’t. We’ve already had the ceremony. He’s… been buried.”

“Buried?” I whispered, barely able to breathe.

I hung up, devastated. I stared at the phone, fingers itching to call Natalie back, to demand answers. My heart raced as the questions swirled in my mind, relentlessly. I hit the call button before I could talk myself out of it.

The phone rang once. Twice. And then, finally—

“Greg,” Natalie answered, her voice hoarse, barely above a whisper.

“What the hell, Natalie?” I spat, my voice breaking. “Why didn’t you tell me anything? If something happened to Oliver—if he was sick or hurt—you should’ve called me!”

“I—I couldn’t,” she stammered, her breath shaky.

“You couldn’t?” I shot back, standing up, and pacing around the room. “I’m his father, Natalie! I should’ve been there. I should’ve known! What even happened? Yesterday, he was fine!”

“It all happened so fast,” she sobbed, her words a jumble. “I didn’t know how to—”

“How to what, Natalie? How to tell me our son is dead?” My voice cracked, anger and sorrow crashing over me like waves. “Do you even understand how that feels? To hear it like that?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I couldn’t… I didn’t want to do this over the phone.”

I tried to keep my voice steady. “Then when were you going to tell me?”

“I’m sorry,” she choked out again, like that would somehow make everything better.

“Sorry’s not enough, Natalie. Not this time.” I bit my lip, holding back the scream building in my chest. “Why didn’t anyone else call me?”

Even if she was too wrecked with grief to think straight, why didn’t her parents call me? Hell, even Mike—her new husband—could’ve reached out. As much as I hated the guy for taking my place in Oliver’s life, he should’ve called me.

The next day, while I was packing my bags, the phone rang. I glanced at the screen—Mike. Natalie’s new husband. My jaw tightened as I answered.

“Mike,” I said, zipping up my suitcase. “I’m on my way. I’ll be there by tonight.”

“Wait, Greg,” Mike’s voice was soft, almost hesitant. There was something off in the way he spoke, and it made me stop mid-step.

“What is it?” I asked, bracing myself for whatever he was about to say.

There was a pause, and when he finally spoke, his words shook me to my core.

“Natalie… she’s lost her mind, man. She made all of this up. Oliver’s alive.”

My heart slammed in my chest. “What?” I whispered, barely able to believe what I’d just heard.

“Natalie made it all up,” Mike repeated, his voice tight with disbelief. “Oliver’s fine. He’s with her parents right now.”

For a moment, I couldn’t speak. My mind raced, trying to catch up with the flood of emotions. The anger, the confusion, the relief. My son was alive. Alive. I had spent the entire night mourning him, picturing him gone forever, and now—now Mike was telling me it was all a lie.

“She… she lied?” I asked, my voice barely audible.

“Yes,” Mike sighed. “She’s been talking about how she didn’t want you in her life anymore. I didn’t believe she’d go this far, but she let it slip. She thought if you believed Oliver was dead, you’d stay away for good.”

I stood there, frozen, feeling a rollercoaster of emotions. Anger swelled in my chest. How could she do this to me? To Oliver?

“Greg, I know this is a lot,” Mike continued, “but I couldn’t keep this from you. Natalie’s been… she’s been unraveling for a while. I called you as soon as I found out.”

I didn’t respond right away. I could barely form a coherent thought. My son was alive. But Natalie, the woman I had trusted to co-parent with me, had lied. Not just a small lie, but something so monstrous I couldn’t even wrap my head around it.

Without another word, I finished packing and booked the next flight. I needed answers. I needed to see Oliver.

The flight felt like an eternity. By the time I landed, the anger that had been simmering beneath the surface had grown into a rage I could barely control.

When I finally arrived at Natalie’s house, she opened the door before I could even knock. Her eyes were red, tears already streaming down her face.

“Greg,” she said softly, her voice cracking. She stepped aside, letting me in.

I dropped my bags in the hallway, not caring about the formalities. “How could you do that to me?” I asked, my voice low but trembling with fury.

She wiped her eyes, her lips quivering. “I—I thought you’d take Oliver from me.”

“What?” I blinked, stunned. “Why would I do that?”

Natalie hesitated, looking down. “I’m… I’m pregnant with another child,” she admitted, her voice small. “I was scared. I thought if you found out, you’d take Oliver away from me. That you’d think he should live with you because I’d have another baby here.”

I stared at her in disbelief. “That’s what you thought? That I’d just take Oliver away from you?”

She nodded, sniffling. “I panicked, Greg. I didn’t know what else to do.”

My anger flared again, hot and sharp. “So you faked our son’s death? Natalie, you buried him in my mind. Do you even realize what you’ve done to me?”

She sobbed quietly, unable to meet my eyes.

I was shaking now, barely able to contain the storm inside me. “This isn’t about your new baby or what you thought. This is about Oliver, and you almost ripped him away from me. Forever.”

Natalie started crying, clearly shaken by her actions.

“Natalie,” I said softly, aware that Mike had entered the room.

“This changes things, but it doesn’t excuse what you did. It would help if you had trusted me enough to be open and honest. I would never have separated Oliver from you. He needs both of us. But I am so angry and hurt by the lie. I went hours thinking my son was dead.”

Natalie sat and sobbed for a long time, cradling her stomach every few minutes.

Then, I heard the sound of little footsteps running through the hallway.

“Daddy!” Oliver screamed and jumped into my arms.

I refused to let him go.

Ultimately, I reassured Natalie that I wasn’t there to take Oliver away. But I was also firm that if she did something like that again, I would be forced to take legal action.

On one hand, I think I understand the pain and uncertainty that Natalie felt at the thought of losing her child. But it also made no sense. Given the opportunity, I would have told her I was happy Oliver would be a big brother.

I’ve insisted that Natalie and I go to counseling to address any underlying issues from our divorce.

Mike has been a great source of support for her, and I’m grateful that if anyone had to be a stepfather to my son, it’s the man who phoned me and told me the truth.

Back home, the distance between Oliver and me was unbearable. I couldn’t let that be our reality anymore. I opened my laptop, scrolling through job listings. There was no question about it.

I had to be closer to my son.

And soon.

“Next time, Natalie,” I muttered to myself, “I won’t be so far away.”