The next morning, I confronted him gently. He broke down and admitted he had been secretly taking parenting lessons online and practicing bonding activities with Mia in my absence because he felt inadequate as a father. The stress made him distant during the week, afraid of making mistakes. We held each other and talked for hours. Since then, Mia has been laughing again—now dancing with both of us. And I learned that sometimes what we fear is not darkness, but a heart quietly trying to learn how to love better.