The morning light filtered through the thin curtains, casting a soft glow throughout the kitchen. Julia stood by the kitchen counter, her hair disheveled, staring absently at the cup of coffee in her hands. She glanced momentarily at the door where a pile of boxes and suitcases marked the last few possessions her husband had left to pick up.

They had another fight the night before, and her eyes were still red. Luckily, they didn't wake David this time. Her coffee grew cold as she thought about how to bring this up to David. She was already aware that David knew something was going on. His reaction to the birthday card all but confirmed it.

Julia abandoned the coffee on the counter and busied herself with getting ready for the day—anything to occupy her mind for a few moments.

After a bit, David walked into her room, rubbing the last bits of sleep from his eyes, holding that worn robot in his hand.

Julia had never understood why he liked it so much. It had already been old and worn when they first got it, but now it looked ready to fall apart at the slightest touch. Had he been rough with it? His other toys didn't show the same wear, even though he'd played with them more.

"Good morning, Mom," David said sleepily, dragging her away from her thoughts.

"Good morning, my little dreamer," she replied, steeling herself for the words that had to come next.

She opened her mouth again to speak, but no sound came out. The pain of last night was still too fresh. She could feel the tears coming and quickly looked to the mirror, trying to hide her sadness from David. She could see him in the reflection, and his look of concern tore at her heart again. Julia wiped her eyes and turned back around to face David. She had to be strong for him.

"Come with me, honey," she said, holding out her hand to David. He grabbed it without speaking as she led him into the kitchen. His head immediately turned to see the pile at the door.

"Are we going somewhere?" he asked, his voice a mixture of curiosity and concern.

"Not exactly, honey. I have something to tell you." Julia took a deep breath before continuing. "Your father is going away. We have had some differences and need to take some time apart."

David looked concerned but didn't start crying, much to Julia's surprise. "Is that why you two have been yelling at night?" David asked.

Julia's expression softened. She wasn't surprised that David had started to figure out what was happening. "It's complicated, but that's part of it," she confirmed. "I wanted you to know that none of this was your fault. You were feeling big emotions, and you should have expressed them, but you needed to remember that we both still loved you."

David looked down at his worn robot, tracing a finger along one of its many scratches. "But why did he have to leave? Couldn't you just fix it?"

Julia's heart ached at the simplicity of his question. If only it had been that easy. "Sometimes, grown-ups csn't fix things right away. We needed time to think and understand our feelings. It didn't mean we didn't care about each other or you."

David hugged the robot closer, his face scrunched in thought. "Will Dad come back?"

"I hoped so, sweetie," Julia said softly. "But no matter what happened, we would always be a family. We would just be a little different for a while."

David nodded slowly, still processing the news. "Would I still see him?"

"Yes, of course. He would visit and call you. He loved you very much," Julia reassured him, pulling him into a hug.

David clung to her, his small body trembling slightly. "I loved you, Mom."

"I loved you too, my little dreamer," she whispered, kissing the top of his head. "We were going to be okay, I promised."

As they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, Julia felt a bittersweet sense of resolve. The road ahead would be challenging, but she knew they could face it together. They had to. For David's sake, she had found the strength to be the one he could lean on.

Julia glanced again at the boxes by the door. The road ahead would be hard for both of them. She was glad that he had finally had a friend at school. She would do whatever it took to ensure that David's world remained as stable and loving as possible, despite the changes they faced.

With a deep breath, Julia turned to David. "How about we made pancakes for breakfast that day? Your favorite."

David's eyes had brightened a bit. "With chocolate chips?"

"Of course," Julia smiled, grateful for the small spark of joy in his eyes. "Let's get started together."