Chapter 1
My phone screen lit up the dark nursery.
It was Lily's fifth birthday. I lay next to my sleeping daughter and stared at Chloe Harrington's latest Instagram post.
The caption read:
[Bedtime is so hard without a dad. Thank God he dropped everything to be here tonight.]
The photo showed a man lying on a bed, reading a story to Chloe's son. That man was my husband, Arthur Sterling.
I swiped down on my screen. Right above the Instagram notification was a text Arthur had sent ten minutes ago.
[Tied up at work. Don't wait up for me, Eleanor.]
My heart went numb. I liked Chloe's photo, closed the app, and called my divorce lawyer.
Eleanor
At 2 a.m., Arthur finally came home.
The bedroom door opened, and the light stung my eyes. I quickly covered Lily's face.
Arthur leaned against the doorframe and loosened his tie. "I'm home. Wake Lily up. Let's cut her birthday cake."
Long ago, I cared about these things. Birthdays, holidays, or school events—I always begged Arthur to come. I didn't want Lily to only see her dad through a phone screen like I did.
But not tonight.
I pulled the blanket over Lily. "There's no need."
Arthur frowned impatiently. "Eleanor, I only went over to put Mason to bed. Don't make a big deal out of it." He sighed heavily. "This is why I don't tell you the truth. You're always so paranoid."
I was not paranoid. And I never would be again.
"If you're done, go sleep in the guest room," I said calmly. "Don't wake Lily. She has school tomorrow."
Arthur scoffed at my cold tone. "Suit yourself. But don't blame me later for missing out on her childhood."
I turned off the lamp and gently patted Lily in the dark.
It didn't matter if he missed out. After all, her birthday wish earlier tonight was, "I don't want to look for Dad anymore."
…
The next morning, Arthur did not leave for work right away. He sat in the living room and watched the morning news.
Just as we were leaving, he grabbed his keys and walked over. He patted Lily's head.
"I'll drive you to school today."
He was talking to our daughter, but he was looking right at me.
Two years ago, when Lily started kindergarten, Arthur drove her every day. But after Chloe showed up, he started leaving earlier and earlier. He said his morning meetings were moved up. I believed him.
That was until Lily transferred schools three months ago.
I saw him at the kindergarten gates. The busy man who had no time for us was taking a little boy out of his car.
He had time. He just had more important people to see.
We fought terribly that night. From the next day on, Lily never asked him to drive her again.
I had already decided to get a divorce. Still, he was Lily's father. I thought about it and did not refuse.
Arthur smiled slightly and picked Lily up.
But when I opened the car door, I froze.
The backseat was filled with someone else's things. A superhero water bottle, a kid's baseball mitt, and a woman's shawl. Behind the seat hung a "family photo" of Arthur, Chloe, and Mason.
Arthur noticed me looking at it and frowned. "Chloe just put it there," he explained defensively. "She said it makes Mason happy. Don't throw a tantrum over such a small thing."
In the past, I would have smashed the photo. I would have cried and asked him what Lily and I meant to him.
But now, I just nodded. "It's a nice picture."
Arthur looked at me strangely. "You're not mad?"
Mad? Maybe I should be. But for some reason, I felt nothing. I even found it funny. Arthur was a smart man. Could he really not see through Chloe's cheap tricks?
No. He just did not care.
"Let's get in. Lily is going to be late," I said.
Arthur pressed his lips together and opened the driver's door.
I was about to help Lily into the back when Arthur's phone rang. The screen flashed Mason's name.
Over the speakers, a little boy cried his heart out.
"Dad! Dad! Where are you?" Mason sobbed. "Did you leave Mommy and me?"
Arthur hung up the phone. He didn't even look at us as he got into the driver's seat.
"Mason is crying for me. Just have the driver take you today," he said quickly.
The black SUV sped away before I could say a word.
My heart ached for Lily. I crouched down to comfort her. "Dad just has an emergency today. Next time when he's free, we'll take you to school together, okay?"
Lily stared at the empty street. Her face had a maturity that didn't belong to a five-year-old.
"Mom, he won't be free," she said quietly. "He has to save all his time for Mason and his mom."
