Chapter 2

In the notes section, the nurse had scribbled a single word: "Dad."

I pointed at that line and asked Henry. "If a kid randomly calls someone 'Dad,' does the nurse just jot it down like that?"

Henry's grip on Mia tightened.

But Sophie spoke up first.

"The nurse must've made a mistake," she said.

[Sophie's lie count: 3]

I gave a sarcastic laugh.

Henry caught the look on my face and frowned. "Emma, now's not the time to get hung up on this."

I glanced at the child in his arms, then at Sophie, who was wrapped in his coat. "So when is the right time? After we get our marriage license?"

"Or should I wait until I'm officially Mrs. Rivers before I acknowledge this daughter?"

Sophie's tears finally fell, and Henry's face darkened.

"Emma, don't be so harsh," he said.

I nodded.

"Alright. Let's not make registering our marriage today so messy," I said.

With that, I turned and walked away.

When I reached the elevator, Henry hurried after me. "Emma, don't go."

[Henry's lie count: 8]

I turned back to face him. "Henry, I'm not getting that marriage license today."

He sighed. Seeing how firm I was, he said impatiently. "Then don't regret it."

No lie count appeared.

He honestly believed I'd be the one left with regrets.

I didn't go back to my apartment. Instead, I grabbed a cab to Willow Court Residence.

Originally, after getting the marriage license today, I was supposed to move the rest of my things over.

So over the past six months, I'd been slowly dropping off wedding stuff, extra paperwork, and some boxes of clothes.

But now that I wasn't getting the certificate, I guess I'd have to take it all back.

Looks like I need to go pick up all my things.

By the time I got to Willow Court Residence, it was already evening.

The apartment was right in the heart of the city, bought by Henry after his startup finally made it big.

He told me it was his way of making things right; a real home, just for us.

When we decorated, I picked out every little thing myself: the wallpaper, the sofa, even the dining table.

But after everything was done, he kept saying the new place needed to be aired out.

"Let's wait until after we get the marriage license to move in. It's bad luck to live together before the wedding," he said.

I believed him.

So for the past six months, I only came by every now and then to drop off some wedding supplies. Most of the time, Henry kept the keys.

But I still had a spare key in my bag from when we were decorating.

But now, standing in the entryway, the place suddenly felt unfamiliar.

At the bottom of the shoe cabinet, there was a pair of little pink girl's slippers.

I'd seen them once or twice before, always assuming they belonged to some worker's kid.

But now, looking closer, the slippers looked perfectly clean, but there was some fresh dust on the soles, like someone had just worn them.

Suddenly, I thought of Mia. Maybe these were hers after all.

This was the first time I'd ever really looked around the place.

I opened the kitchen cabinet and found a kid's bowl with a bunny on it.

Next to it was a small cup, with a name sticker on the bottom that said "Mia."

In the fridge, there were some kid's cheese sticks and a box of cooling pads for fevers.

In the corner of the balcony, there was a pink balance bike, with a little bear keychain hanging from the handlebar.

These weren't just things someone left behind by accident. It looked like someone had actually been living here.

I went through everything, feeling like I was snooping around someone else's home.

Finally, in the bottom drawer of the entryway cabinet, I found two spare access cards.

There were sticky notes on the card holders.

One said "Sophie."

One said "Mia."

Under the access cards, there was a property registration form.

[Long-term Access Holders: Sophie, Mia]

[Owner's authorization: Henry]

The date was three months ago.

Back then, Henry was still telling me the new place needed to air out, and we should wait until after we got the marriage license to move in.

I held the two cards in my hand, my palms growing colder by the second.

Turns out, the home I'd been waiting to move into after getting married—someone else had already made themselves comfortable here.

I hadn't told Henry I was coming.

But the smart lock at Willow Court Residence pinged his phone the moment I unlocked the door.

A little after ten, he hurried over.

When he walked in and saw me sitting on the couch, he stopped in his tracks.

"Emma," he called out.

His voice was gentle. "I'm sorry about today."

I ignored his apology and placed the access cards and property registration form on the coffee table.

"Explain this," I said.

Henry glanced at them, his face barely flickering before he slipped right back into his usual calm. "Sophie sometimes drops by with Mia.

"I've been swamped with work lately, so she helps me grab some files every now and then."

[Henry's lie count: 9]

I stared at that line of words. "You need a long-term access card just to pick up some files?

"And what, it's 'convenient' that there's a kid's bowl, cup, and even a balance bike here?" she added, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Henry rubbed his temples. "Emma, Mia's just a kid.

"She loves this place, and I just don't want to disappoint her."

There was no sign that showed he was lying.

So he really meant it. He didn't want to disappoint Mia.

I couldn't even fake a smile anymore.