Chapter 2
I slumped into the couch, completely drained.
It was always the same excuses. It was always my fault.
I was always the petty one, and I was always the unreasonable one.
He forgot he promised to be there for Tatiana's birthday.
He forgot how tough it was for me to raise Tatiana all on my own.
He forgot that I gave up my whole career just to hold this family together.
When I didn't say anything, Irwin slammed his hand on the table and yelled, "Jacklynne, don't pull this crap with me.
"Zaryna and I have a strictly professional boss-subordinate relationship. That's all.
"If you keep acting in such an unreasonable fashion, you'll tear this family apart."
As I watched his hysterical outburst, I suddenly felt he was a complete stranger to me.
The man standing before me was nothing like the one who had said with tears in his eyes after Tatiana was born, "I'll always take care of you and our little girl."
I shook my head slowly and said in a low but firm voice, "I want a divorce."
With that, I didn't bother with him anymore and went back to the bedroom.
The next morning, when Tatiana and I woke up, it was already nine o'clock.
As soon as we stepped into the dining room, we saw a piping hot kids' meal set out on the table.
The moment Irwin heard the noise from the dining room, he stuck his head out from the kitchen doorway.
He flashed us a smile and spoke gently to Tatiana, "Sweetie, breakfast's almost ready. Just wait a little while longer for Daddy, alright?"
Tatiana's eyes lit up instantly. She tugged at my sleeve and gushed excitedly, "Daddy's back!"
With that, she skipped to the dining table and clambered onto her chair.
She spread out her napkin like a little adult and waited in anticipation for her breakfast.
As I stared at the sight before my eyes, I became a little lost in thought…
*****
When Tatiana was little, she suffered from many food allergies. Back then, I still didn't know how to cook.
During that period, Irwin would get up early every morning, rain or shine, just to make breakfast for Tatiana.
He made different variations of the dishes she could eat, in addition to those dishes that she liked.
At that time, his company was just getting off the ground, and he was swamped with work.
But he always came home every night. And every week, he would always set aside half a day just to spend time with Tatiana.
No matter how exhausted he was from work, he always came home with a smile for Tatiana and me every time.
However, after Tatiana turned five, Irwin was hardly ever home anymore.
Whenever I asked him about it, he would just say he was working late.
At first, I believed him. I also knew it wasn't easy for him.
So I tried to be understanding and chose to stay at home to take care of Tatiana.
This lasted until one day at a school parent-child event.
When I was getting ready to compete with the other parents, Tatiana suddenly ran to me, crying, "Daddy doesn't want me anymore!"
I looked at where she was pointing and saw that Irwin was participating in the parent-child activity with another kid.
I knew that kid. He was Zaryna Schakeloc's son.
Zaryna started working at our company when Tatiana was four.
At the time, she was desperately trying to find a job with her young son in tow.
She said she didn't know how to use job apps or write a resume, so she could only go from place to place, asking if anyone was hiring.
But her spoken language wasn't fluent, and with a kid tagging along, she didn't have any success with her job hunt.
That day, I was eating out when I bumped into her. I felt sorry for her and decided to offer her a job as an office assistant at my office.
At an hourly rate of $15, the salary wasn't much. But I covered her meals and gave her a place to stay.
When Zaryna heard my offer, she burst into tears and repeatedly thanked me for saving her life and her son's life.
Back then, Irwin objected to my decision.
He argued that the company wasn't a charity and we couldn't just hire anyone who walked in.
I tried to convince him by explaining, "Everyone goes through a bad patch sometimes. If we can lend a hand, why not?"
But I never imagined that in just one year, the woman I once lent a helping hand to would end up stabbing me in the back.
*****
While I was still lost in thought, Irwin came out of the kitchen with a tray in his hands.
"Daddy!" Tatiana called out with sparkling eyes as she scrambled to him.
He smiled and carried her up onto his lap.
He then fed Tatiana one spoonful at a time and joked with her from time to time. The girl was giggling in between mouthfuls of food as she ate happily.
After breakfast, Irwin picked Tatiana up and twirled her around. "Sweetie, would you like Daddy to take you to a secret base?"
Tatiana's eyes widened with delight. "What secret base? Where is it?"
"Do you still remember what Daddy can do?" Irwin asked mysteriously.
"You can do magic!" Tatiana squealed.
"Exactly! With Daddy's magic, we can go anywhere we want," Irwin proclaimed with a grin.
I was still fuming inwardly and was prepared to reject his proposal.
But when I saw the eager look in Tatiana's eyes, I couldn't bring myself to say it.
With a sigh, I gave in and went along with the father and daughter's plan.
Tatiana quickly changed into her favorite bubble dress. Along the way, she held my hand and prattled nonstop.
As I observed the direction Irwin was driving, I soon realized where we were going.
Back when Tatiana was three and a half years old, she scraped her knee on a rusty piece of playground equipment.
She was crying her lungs out in pain. Irwin had to rush her to the hospital late at night for an injection.
When they finally got back, I noticed that Irwin's eyes were bloodshot and glistening with tears.
That night, he didn't sleep a wink. Early the next morning, he gently stroked Tatiana's hair and said, "Daddy's going to build you the safest, cleanest playground in the whole world. It'll be yours alone, just for you."
He made good on his promise. Within days, he had picked out an empty plot in the suburbs.
As the days passed, we forgot about Irwin's promise as everybody became caught up in our daily lives.
If he hadn't hinted about this today, I would not have remembered this matter at all.
Soon, our car pulled up in front of an open space surrounded by a green hedge.