Chapter 3

At two in the morning, the metallic click of a key turning in the front lock echoed through the silence.

Julian stepped into the living room, slipping off a suit jacket flecked with dry grass blades.

When his eyes landed on me sitting on the couch, his feet froze.

"Laura? Why are you still up?"

He clicked on the wall sconce, his voice laced with exhaustion.

"Mason was terrified tonight. It took me forever to get him settled down."

The suffocating waft of Helena’s perfume clung to him, making my stomach turn with nausea.

I stared at Julian blankly, offering no response.

Julian stiffened under my glare before rubbing his temples in irritation.

"Look, I know it was wrong of me to walk out on Ethan today, but didn't I hand you the token I brought for him?"

"He's just a kid—a little reassurance and he’ll move past it. You don't need to sit here in the dark giving me an attitude at midnight."

"A little reassuring and he’ll move past it?"

I snapped to my feet, locking eyes with him.

"Julian, that was the district-wide Elementary Science Fair awards ceremony. It was supposed to be our son's moment of pride, and because you walked out, every parent turned us into a laughingstock! How do you think Ethan’s friends look at him now?"

"How is that even comparable?"

Julian’s voice skyrocketed, a strange, desperate defensive flicker flaring in his eyes.

"Ethan has you to take care of him, a massive house to live in, and the best life money can buy. But Mason has nothing. He doesn't have a father, and he only has Helena."

"If I didn't go help him and something terrible happened, his whole life could’ve been ruined!"

"He doesn't have a father? What about Ethan?!"

My tears finally broke through, streaming down my face.

"Are you Ethan’s father, or are you Helena and her son's personal savior?!"

Julian averted his eyes, pressing his lips into a tight, hard line.

Right then, a paper slip slipped from his jacket pocket hanging over the armrest and fluttered onto the floor.

I leaned down and picked it up.

It was an intent-to-enroll receipt for Greentree Academy, an elite private school: a non-refundable deposit of fifteen thousand dollars, signed by Julian.

My hands started shaking uncontrollably. "You raided Ethan’s educational trust fund? You took our son’s future to smooth the path for Helena’s kid?"

Exposed, Julian flushed with sudden rage. He snatched the paper back from my grip and lashed out.

"It’s a loan! Helena’s having a cash flow issue right now—what’s wrong with me advancing it for her!"

"Laura, since when did you become so selfish? That money was just sitting in an account barely earning interest anyway. Is a bank balance more important than a child’s education?"

Then he stared right at me and delivered the words that shattered my heart into pieces:

"Besides... Mason is way more mature and well-behaved than Ethan. If Mason were standing on that stage today, he would never be so petty as to throw a fit over a stupid medal."

Those words felt like a dull, rusted blade driving straight through my chest.

He wasn't just biased—deep down, he was actively tearing down his own flesh and blood to elevate another man's child.

Looking into Julian’s eyes, I saw zero love for a wife.

Instead, he was filled with a sick sense of projection and a need for atonement—as if he wasn't helping Helena, but using that kid to make up for some massive, unhealed regret in his own past.

"Fine. Great."

I wiped the corners of my eyes, refusing to utter another single word.

I turned and walked up the stairs.

At the end of the hallway, Ethan stood at his bedroom door, clutching a throw pillow tightly against his chest.

He had clearly heard every single word.

"Mommy..." Ethan yanked gently at the hem of my skirt, his tiny face deadly pale. "Can you sleep with me tonight?"

I dropped to my knees and pulled my son tight against my heart.

"Of course, Ethan. Mommy's right here."