Chapter 3

The next morning, Olivia woke up on the cold floor. When she asked the housekeeper, she learned that Grace had been found last night and was settled in the guest room. Lucas and Nina had already been sent off to school earlier that morning.

Her temples throbbed, and she had this nagging feeling that she had forgotten something important. It wasn't until her phone buzzed with a reminder that it finally clicked.

Today was the preschool's family day event.

Even though she and Richard were barely speaking, Olivia knew Lucas had been looking forward to this day for so long.

She didn't want to let Lucas down, and besides, this might be the last time the three of them could do something together as a family.

So Olivia tried calling Richard, but when he didn't pick up, she sent him a text instead: [Hey, a reminder; it's family day at Lucas's preschool today. Hope you can make it.]

After a while, all she got back was a cold reply: [Got stuff to do. Can't make it.]

Olivia swallowed her disappointment and forced herself to put on a brave face as she made her way to the preschool.

As soon as she walked in, she saw Lucas standing there, looking lost and out of place, like a stray with nowhere to go.

Olivia's heart tightened, and she strode over to him.

When Lucas saw her, his eyes finally lit up, and he ran to her, excitement written all over his face. "Mommy," he called out.

"Mommy's here," Olivia said. She pulled Lucas into a tight hug, kissed his forehead, and smoothed his hair.

After today, she would transfer him to another school.

Before Olivia could set Lucas down, a sudden commotion erupted at the entrance. Parents clustered together, gossiping in hushed, excited tones.

"Whoa, who are those two? That guy's insanely handsome, and the woman looks like a movie star. Seriously, they're perfect together."

"Yeah, and did you see his Rolls-Royce? Rich, good-looking, and stylish, his wife and daughter must be living in pure luxury."

Amid all the jealous whispers, Olivia clearly saw Richard and Grace standing shoulder to shoulder.

Richard took Grace's hand, and she immediately leaned shyly against his shoulder, while with his other hand, he picked up Nina.

"Hi everyone, we're Nina's parents. It's her first day here, so please look out for her," Richard said.

People glanced at Nina, who had a blank expression on her face, then at Richard, who clearly didn't care what anyone thought. They quickly caught on and put on friendly smiles.

"Of course. We're all equal here, and everyone gets a fair shot at learning," one of the parents said.

Olivia glanced at the crowd, then instinctively looked over at Lucas. He seemed to get what was happening, standing there with his lips pressed tight, not saying a word. He was so mature for his age, it made Olivia's heart ache.

Olivia felt a sharp pang in her chest and quickly tried to reassure him. "Hey, Lucas, don't worry. Even if Dad isn't here, we've got this; we can still take first place."

"Okay," Lucas answered.

Children's moods came and went quickly. In no time, Lucas was fired up and ready to dive into the games.

Throughout the games, Olivia and Richard kept exchanging glances, but both acted like strangers, silently agreeing to ignore each other.

Then, during one of the water activities, Nina suddenly recognized Lucas playing in the crowd.

Eyes sparkling, she dashed over, arms wide, eager to grab him in a hug. "Lucas!"

"No, stay away," Lucas protested. He tried to escape, but Nina was way too quick; she pounced and knocked him right to the ground.

In the middle of their scuffle, Nina suddenly lost it; she kicked Lucas right into the water and then dove in after him.

Olivia was working on another task nearby, but when she caught sight of what was happening, she couldn't help but shout out, "Lucas!"

She tried to rush over, but her feet were still tangled up in the ropes from the group three-legged race, leaving her stuck and unable to move.

Just then, a tall figure stepped in front of Olivia. "Richard, Lucas can't swim. Please, get in there and help him," Olivia cried out.

Meanwhile, Grace was sobbing into her handkerchief, her voice trembling with panic. "Someone, please save Nina. If anything happens to her, I swear I can't live with it."

Richard glanced between them, then rolled up his sleeves and dove into the water without hesitation, heading straight for Nina.

"Lucas," Olivia shouted.

By the time Olivia managed to break free from the ropes, the paramedics had already pulled Lucas onto the shore. His face was deathly pale, and he was completely unconscious.

"Mommy!" Not far away, Nina was soaking wet, throwing herself into Richard's arms and bawling her eyes out, while Grace stood nearby, wiping away her tears.

Richard was patiently soothing Nina. "Alright, alright, everything's fine now. We're both here for you."

Olivia glanced at Richard and Grace, then at Lucas, whose face was deathly pale. Her heart ached so much it felt like it was bleeding.

"Hurry, Lucas's mom. The ambulance is here. We need to get him on board right away," one of the paramedics shouted.

The paramedics quickly pulled Olivia away as she was still performing CPR on Lucas, then rushed him into the ambulance.

Richard never once looked at Lucas, treating him as if he were some random kid.