Chapter 1

On the night of my daughter's birthday, we sat together at the dining table waiting for her father.

After the food turned cold, I reheated everything.

By now, the frosting on the birthday cake had melted into a runny mess.

My little girl, who had been eagerly waiting for her father, couldn't stay awake any longer and fell asleep in my arms.

At exactly midnight, Zaryna Schakeloc posted an update on her social media page.

It was a picture of a cake with the caption: [So happy celebrating my little boy's birthday tonight. May this moment last forever.]

The man in the photo, blowing out candles with her son, was my husband and my daughter's father, Irwin Juglar.

By the time I put Tatiana to bed, Zaryna had posted two more photos.

The first showed Irwin holding her son Herman while they blew out the candles.

The second was an intimate shot of the two of them together.

In the photo, Irwin rested his chin gently on Zaryna's shoulder with a warm and affectionate smile.

I felt a sudden tightening of my chest as the rage welled up inside me.

Just as I was about call Irwin on the phone and give him a piece of my mind, I heard a noise from Tatiana's bedroom.

"Daddy…" She rolled over in bed and mumbled in her sleep a few times.

I hurried to her room. As I gazed at Tatiana's sleeping face, my heart was overwhelmed with bitterness.

I knew how much she yearned for her father to be with her today.

Earlier, at four o'clock in the afternoon, Tatiana and I returned from the supermarket.

Thereafter, we started preparing her birthday dinner together.

While I took charge of most of the cooking, she helped me in her own way.

Tatiana would be seven years old this year. Despite her young age, she was quicker on the uptake than most kids her age.

She was especially excited today. Irwin had given her his word just a week ago that no matter how busy he was, he would still make an effort to be home to celebrate her birthday with her…

*****

I sighed as I thought back on my nine years of marriage.

I had gone from being a fairly well-known interior designer to a full-time housewife.

But Irwin's life was a different story.

His company had grown from a cramped office with just three staff to a fairly reputable business in the industry.

Now, he was at the peak of his career. He was always out entertaining business partners, organizing exhibitions, or meeting clients.

Work consumed him so completely that he barely had time for anything else.

Whenever he finally made it home, it was always late at night, or sometimes even at the crack of dawn.

By then, Tatiana was already sound asleep.

Throughout the year, Tatiana only saw her father a handful of times. Her interactions with him were mostly through video calls…

*****

Therefore, when Irwin promised her that he would spend the whole evening with her today, Tatiana was over the moon.

She spent the entire afternoon helping me wash the ingredients, set the table, and decorate the living room excitedly.

I smiled as I watched her bustle around as busy as a bee.

But deep down, I couldn't help feeling a pang of sadness.

While making dinner, I kept thinking about having a heart-to-heart with Irwin tonight.

No doubt, his career was important, but Tatiana would only go through her childhood once…

*****

At seven that night, the table was loaded with all of Tatiana's favorite dishes, and right in the center was the Barbie-themed cake she had picked out herself.

She fidgeted with her birthday hat and asked repeatedly, "Mommy, when is Daddy coming home?"

I frowned as I stared at my phone screen. It was covered with a dozen or so unread messages I had sent earlier.

Every single message I sent to Irwin got no response at all.

When I tried calling him, he didn't pick up at first. After that, my calls were all diverted to voicemail.

I took a deep breath, forced a smile, and ruffled Tatiana's hair. "Daddy is probably still in a meeting with a client. Why don't you eat something first?"

Tatiana shook her head stubbornly and declared in a firm voice, "I want to wait for Daddy to come back so that we can cut the cake together."

*****

It was already eleven o'clock at night. I had reheated the food on the table many times by now.

Tatiana could barely keep her eyes open, but she stubbornly refused to go to bed.

Finally, she couldn't hold back anymore. Her eyes were brimming with tears as she asked me, "Mommy, did Daddy forget it's my birthday today?"

I gathered her onto my lap and said softly, "Of course not, Sweetie. Daddy's just really busy."

"He said that last year, too. And the year before that," Tatiana mumbled in a tremulous voice.

I didn't know what to say, so I just hugged her tighter.

At midnight, Tatiana finally couldn't stay awake any longer and drifted off to sleep in my arms.

It was at this point that I received the first photo on my phone.

I carefully carried Tatiana to bed and tucked her in. Then I sat on the couch and waited numbly.

At one-thirty in the morning, I heard the key turn in the main door's lock.

Irwin walked in, reeking of alcohol. He tossed his coat onto the couch before heading for the dining table. He then grabbed a piece of cold BBQ ribs with his bare hands and took a big bite.

Immediately, he frowned and grumbled loudly, "Why isn't the food hot? I've been starving all night!"

I remained sitting on the couch as I watched him silently.

After a while, I took a deep breath and asked, "Weren't you just celebrating Herman's birthday? Didn't Zaryna cook anything for you?"

Irwin's hand froze in midair. Then the half-eaten BBQ rib dropped onto the table.

As he turned around, I caught a flicker of panic on his face before he quickly put on an annoyed look. "What are you trying to say?

"Zaryna is a single mom, and Herman had no one to celebrate his birthday with. As her boss, what's wrong with me looking after them for a bit?"

As I watched him enact his self-righteous act, I couldn't help but give a dismissive laugh in disgust.

I narrowed my eyes at him and asked him sarcastically, "Boss? Since when does a boss need to hold his employee's kid to blow out candles? Or hug the employee for a photo together?"

"Jacklynne, can't you be more magnanimous?" Irwin's voice grew louder and more agitated.

Next, he pointed an accusing finger at me while shouting. "I was just trying to help out of sympathy! Why do you always have to twist everything into something unsavory?

"I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would overthink things. In the end, you are still so unreasonable!"

I gave up talking to Irwin.