He brought her wildflowers, helped around the house, and declared proudly, “I don’t need a dad. I have the best mom in the world.”

Doris believed their bond could withstand anything. But years later, when Nicholas abandoned his own child, just as Robert had once abandoned him, she was left to wonder: had she loved him too much? Had her devotion taught him to expect love without responsibility?

In those early years, though, all she saw was a boy who needed her—and she gave him everything.