He used them exactly twice.
Then Hartley Adaptive Learning received its first major investment.
Six months later, Michael moved to Boston with Rebecca.
His visits stopped.
His calls slowed.
When the twins turned five, he mailed bicycles.
When they turned six, nothing came.
At seven, one card arrived four days late.
At eight, silence.
I contacted him.
Repeatedly.
Sometimes assistants answered.
Sometimes attorneys.
Sometimes nobody.
His number changed.
His company expanded.
His face began appearing in business magazines.
Michael Hartley, visionary entrepreneur revolutionizing education.
The irony would have been funny if it hadn’t hurt so much.
I never poisoned the boys against him.
I made one rule.
I would answer every question honestly, but I would never teach my children to hate someone merely because I had reason to.
When they asked why Dad didn’t visit, I said:
“I don’t know.”
When they asked whether he loved them, I said:
