Chapter 4

Eleanor

The divorce agreement was ready. I ended our cold war and texted Arthur to come home tonight.

When I arrived at Lily's kindergarten, Arthur's Maybach was already parked in the pickup zone.

Chloe rolled down the passenger window and smiled smugly.

"Eleanor, you're picking up your kid too? This is an elite prep school. Are you really wearing last year's coat? Aren't you afraid people will laugh at your daughter?"

I didn't bother replying. I just took a step back.

Chloe immediately turned to Arthur, putting on her usual wronged face. "Arthur, did I say something wrong? Eleanor looks mad."

For once, Arthur did not side with her right away. He stared at my thin coat, his tone stiff. "Eleanor, it's windy out there. Get in the car."

I took another step back.

I couldn't pinpoint when we had become such strangers. Even a simple word of concern from him felt forced.

Just then, a commotion broke out near the school gates. Two kids were fighting on the ground.

My heart dropped. One of them was Lily.

I rushed over and pulled them apart, only to realize the boy she was fighting with was Mason.

The moment Mason saw me, he froze, then threw himself onto the pavement and cried.

"Waaah! The lady hit me! It hurts!"

Arthur and Chloe hurried over. Chloe scooped Mason into her arms and glared at me.

"Eleanor, even if you hate me, don't take it out on a child!" she snapped. "They were just playing. Did you have to be so aggressive?"

Arthur frowned at me. In that moment, he completely forgot Lily was his own daughter.

"What happened here?" he demanded.

The teacher looked overwhelmed. "Mr. Sterling... when the kids saw you, they both claimed you were their dad. They argued, and it turned into a fight."

It was dismissal time. The courtyard was packed with parents, and the whispers quickly started.

"Fighting over a dad? Looks like baby mama drama."

"That guy is clearly rich. The little girl is probably just making things up for attention. Too bad she ran into the real son."

"Lying at that age? Terrible parenting."

Mason continued to wail, burying his face in Arthur's shoulder and crying for his dad.

But Lily did not shed a single tear. She just gripped my hand tightly and stared dead at Arthur.

A curious kid in the crowd suddenly pointed. "Mister, whose dad are you? You have to tell us! Whoever claimed the wrong dad has to apologize."

Arthur parted his lips. "I'm Li—"

Right then, Chloe gently tugged his sleeve. She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

In that split second, I understood. Arthur was wavering. Just like countless times before, the moment Chloe asked, my daughter and I became his second choice.

I gritted my teeth. My voice was ice.

"Arthur. How you answer this will affect Lily for the rest of her life. Think carefully before you speak."

Arthur stiffened. His eyes darkened, as if my warning had bruised his ego. He looked out and raised his voice so everyone could hear.

"I am Mason's father."

He looked down at Lily. "Little girl, you have the wrong person."

My chest tightened. It felt like a heavy physical blow. My eyes stung with tears.

This was his own daughter.

The parents around us immediately started pointing fingers at Lily.

"What a brat. Trying to steal someone else's dad and hitting his real kid."

"The truth is out, and she won't even say sorry. Zero manners."

"Look at the mom. She probably told her kid to call rich men 'Daddy' just to get a payout."

I trembled with pure anger. "Arthur, how could you do this to your own—"

Before I could finish, a sharp pain in my palm stopped me.

Lily was biting her bottom lip. She squeezed my hand with terrifying strength. The last bit of hope in her eyes quietly faded away.

"Mom. Let it go," she whispered blankly.

She let go of my hand and took a step forward. Her face was completely expressionless.

She looked at Arthur, then gave him a stiff, polite bow.

"I'm sorry, sir. I have the wrong person."