Chapter 4

I changed our flight to three that afternoon.

After checking our passenger details, I went through the house one last time to make sure we hadn't left anything behind.

At nine, I made breakfast in that kitchen for the last time.

The blackberry pie Rafe had brought home was still sitting on the counter.

Jasper walked over, opened the box, and looked at it for a few seconds.

Then he picked it up and dropped it into the trash.

He didn't say anything.

Neither did I.

Merritt arrived shortly afterward. He had come to confirm that I still intended to go through with the divorce.

"Are you certain, Seraphina?" he asked. "Once the cooling-off period is over, the court can finalize it. There won't be any need for another discussion."

"Yes," I said.

I didn't hesitate.

Merritt studied my face, then gave a small nod.

"I'll handle the remaining paperwork."

He left without asking me to explain.

We were nearly ready to head to the airport when I saw another Instagram post from Marigold.

It was a photo of Kai holding the little wolf cub. The toy was pressed against his chest, and he was smiling at the camera.

Her caption read: [This little wolf is the best comfort. Kai loves it so much. He says he wants to take it everywhere.]

Jasper was standing beside me. He looked at the post for a long moment.

Then he unzipped his backpack and took out a small toy car.

Rafe had given it to him when he was younger. It had been one of Jasper's favorite toys for years.

He turned it over in his hands, then quietly set it aside.

"Ready, Mom?"

I took his hand.

"Ready."

At one that afternoon, after we'd eaten lunch, we got into a taxi with our luggage and headed for the airport.

We were supposed to meet Rafe at the amusement park at three. We had two hours before then.

Jasper sat beside me with my phone in his hands. He opened the photo album and began scrolling through it.

The first picture he stopped at was from when he was a baby.

Rafe was holding him up at a family celebration, smiling proudly at the camera.

Then there was a photo from Jasper's third birthday. Rafe was sitting on the floor beside him, helping him build a tower out of blocks.

A video came next. It had been taken earlier that year, before Marigold returned.

Rafe was standing behind Jasper in the backyard, patiently showing him how to hold a toy bow. Jasper had been so excited when he finally hit the target.

He watched that video more than once.

He didn't cry. He just kept looking at the screen, his little face growing quieter with every replay.

He was too young to understand why his father, who had once seemed to love him more than anything, now kept choosing another child.

He couldn't understand why the man who used to make time for him had suddenly become too busy.

But he was old enough to understand what I'd been trying to teach him.

We couldn't keep waiting for someone who kept choosing not to show up.

I sat beside him and let him look.

At two, we were getting ready to go through airport security when my phone rang.

It was Rafe.

I answered.

"Seraphina, tell Jasper I'm sorry," he said quickly. "Kai fell out of a tree and hurt himself. I'm taking him to the clinic now."

I said nothing.

"I don't know if I'll make it by three. If you can't wait, just go home. I'll make it up to him."

His voice grew more urgent.

"Please tell Jasper I'm sorry."

He ended the call before I could answer.

He hadn't noticed the airport announcement playing behind me. He hadn't asked where we were.

He still thought we'd be waiting for him.

I put my phone away and reached for Jasper's hand.

"Let's go."

Jasper nodded.

He looked down at the phone one last time, selected every photo and video in the album, and deleted them.

Then he slipped his hand into mine.

At exactly three o'clock, our plane left the runway.

I put noise-canceling headphones over Jasper's ears. He leaned against me and looked out the window.

The sky was bright blue, with white clouds stretching across it.

I let out a slow breath.

Goodbye, Rafe.

At that very moment, Rafe finally broke away from Marigold and rushed to the amusement park, leaving her tearful protests behind.