Chapter 4

Charlie's fever came and went, dragging on for three full days before it finally broke.

During those three days, I barely slept at all. I ignored every call from Alex. I didn't reply to any of his messages either. They were all the same—asking about Charlie, reminding me of things to watch out for. As I scrolled through his texts, all I could think was, "Now you care? Too little, too late." Where had he been before?

Over the past five years, Charlie had had his share of big and small illnesses. Every single time, I'd carried the load alone. Now he suddenly wanted to play the father? It was too late.

On the fourth day, Charlie finally bounced back to life. He was running around again with his Ultraman, "pew-pewing" all over the apartment.

Watching him full of energy again, the knot in my chest finally loosened.

That afternoon, I went up to the third floor to collect Amanda Walker's water and electricity fees.

Amanda was a chatterbox. She kept me there forever, talking my ear off. From her son's love life to how the price of cabbage at the market had gone up again.

I listened patiently, tossing in a few "yeah's" here and there. Right in the middle of it, my phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.

I answered, already a bit annoyed. "Hello, who's this?"

"It's me," Alex said.

His voice was as cool as ever, but through the phone, I seemed to catch a hint of nerves.

"What do you want?" I snapped.

"How's Charlie doing?" he asked.

"He's fine. He's tearing the house apart," I replied.

"I'm off this afternoon. I'd like to come by and see him," Alex said.

My instinct was to shut him down. "No need. He's all better now," I replied.

"A fever going down doesn't mean he's fully recovered. I want to give him another check, just to be sure," he said.

His reasons were always so polished, so proper.

I was just about to make an excuse and hang up when Amanda leaned in, lowered her voice, and asked, "Hey, are you seeing someone? He's got a nice voice."

On impulse, I blurted out into the phone, "Alright, come over. I'm home."

The moment I hung up, I regretted it. Why had I agreed to let him come? To give him a chance to play happy family with Charlie?

Amanda was still staring at me, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

I brushed her off with a few vague replies, pocketed the money, and headed downstairs.

When I got home, the living room was a complete mess. Charlie's toys were scattered everywhere. Suddenly, I just felt annoyed. Why did I need to keep up some perfect image in front of a man who had abandoned both me and our child? To hell with that.

I decided to let it all go. I flopped straight onto the couch and started doom-scrolling.

About half an hour later, the doorbell rang. I took my sweet time getting up and heading to the door.

Alex wasn't alone. There was a woman standing beside him. She was stunning, with perfect makeup, dressed in designer from head to toe, and carrying a Hermès bag. She was holding onto Alex's arm, looking cozy and intimate.

When she saw me, she froze for a second, then looked me up and down. That look—like she was staring at a piece of trash that had accidentally stuck to her expensive shoes.

I was wearing a worn-out set of loungewear, my hair clipped up carelessly with a claw clip, and barefaced. Standing next to her, I really did look like trash.

Alex looked awkward. He pulled his arm free from hers. "Anna, this is Sophie Lane, a new colleague in our department," he said. Then he turned to her. "This is... a friend of mine."

A friend? I almost laughed. The word sounded downright ridiculous coming out of his mouth.

Sophie immediately put on an "I see" expression. She turned to me with a fake smile. "Hi, Dr. Grant mentioned he had a friend whose kid was sick, so I thought I'd tag along and see how he's doing. I brought a little gift for him—hope he likes it."

As she spoke, she held out a beautifully wrapped toy box.

I didn't take it. "We don't need more toys," I said, staring straight at Alex, every word clear and sharp. "And my son definitely doesn't need an irresponsible father."

The atmosphere instantly froze. Sophie's smile cracked, and Alex's face drained of color.