MY BILLIONAIRE EX THREW $30 AT ME WHEN I WAS PREGNANT AND SAID: "TAKE IT AND DISAPPEAR!" 10 YEARS LATER, I SAW HIM ON TV TELLING MILLIONS: "MY GREATEST REGRET IS THAT I NEVER HAD CHILDREN." I LOOKED AT THE 10-YEAR-OLD TWINS SLEEPING BESIDE ME—BOTH CARRYING HIS UNMISTAKABLE FACE—AND LAUGHED. THEN I TEXTED MY LAWYER: "GET THE INVITATIONS READY. WE'RE ATTENDING HIS COMPANY GALA."

That evening, the sun set over the lake in breathtaking hues of crimson, orange, and purple.

We sat together at the large wooden dining table on the patio overlooking the water. The table was piled high with home-cooked food, fresh garlic bread, and warm cider.

Noah sat at the center, proudly displaying a refined version of his technology startup deck, while Sophie dramatically performed a song from her school play, using a wooden spoon as a microphone.

Ethan sat beside me, his arm wrapped comfortably around the back of my chair, his hand resting gently over mine. The cuts on his face were healing, and his smile was lighter than I had ever seen it in my life.

"You know," Noah spoke up, looking across the table at Ethan and me, his eyes bright with deep gratitude, "when that bad man told me I wasn't your real son... I was terrified. Not because of the money or the company... but because I thought I was losing the best dad in the world."

Ethan’s eyes softened, a gentle warmth spreading across his handsome face. "You will never lose me, Noah. Not for thirty dollars, not for a billion dollars, not for anything in this universe."