Chapter 3

David had spent two weeks in the hospital. When he was finally discharged, my daughter Grace and I went to pick him up.

As soon as Grace saw David after so long, she was bursting with excitement, clinging to him like his little shadow and begging him to tell her stories.

Even at bedtime, she kept asking, "Daddy, you're going to sleep with me tonight, right?"

I knew all too well how anxious and insecure Grace felt.

David used to promise he'd tuck her in or take her out to play, but every time, Zoey would call and he'd have to leave.

That was why Grace never truly felt secure.

But this time, David made sure to comfort Grace, gently and patiently soothing her until she finally drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, when we walked Grace to school, she grabbed David's arm tightly and beamed, "Daddy, my school's having a field day! You and Mommy have to come this afternoon, okay?"

With a gentle smile, David nodded.

But Grace instantly pouted, her eyes pleading and her lips turned down sadly.

"Daddy, you can't fool me again. Last time, you said you'd come to my parent-teacher meeting, but you went to be Lily's dad instead. Everyone made fun of me, saying I didn't have a dad," she muttered, sounding close to tears.

David's smile faded, guilt and a trace of pain flashing across his face. He said quickly, "Grace, this time I promise I'll be there for you. Cross my heart, I won't break my promise."

Grace finally skipped off to school, her mood lifted and as happy as could be.

After dropping Grace off, David actually pitched in with the housework for once. He was hardly so thoughtful and caring.

Later that afternoon, he went out and came back with my favorite strawberry cake.

For a second there, I almost felt like a newlywed again, wrapped in the warmth and sweetness we once had.

David slipped his arms around my waist from behind and said softly, "I know strawberries are your favorite, and our daughter totally inherited your taste. Sylvia, I'm sorry. I haven't been there for you and Grace lately—"

But before he could finish, a sudden burst of urgent ringtones shattered the moment.

When David returned from the call, his expression was grim.

"Sylvia, Zoey says her leg is hurting really bad. I have to go check on her," he said.

I stared at him, my voice icy. "David, are you a doctor?"

"What?" He looked genuinely confused.

"I mean, do you think your presence will magically make her pain go away? We're supposed to be at Grace's field day in a little while. What if you can't make it back?" I pressed.

David fell silent. I could see the struggle in his eyes, the hesitation. And today, I had to make him choose.

At last, David kissed me on the forehead, his voice low. "Sylvia, I promise I'll be back soon. If I'm late for Grace's event, can you cover for me?"

Then he snatched his jacket off the hanger and dashed out the door without looking back.

As the door slowly clicked shut, any trace of tenderness I still had disappeared completely.

Expressionless, I dropped the strawberry cake into the trash and grabbed my phone.

Luckily, my lawyer messaged me with great news: they'd already gathered all the evidence we needed. Once we go to court, David would have to play defense.

Just as I was getting ready to leave for school, my phone suddenly rang—it was Grace's teacher.

"Grace's mom? You need to come right now. Grace hit another kid," she called out urgently.

Panic slammed into me. I bolted out the door, didn't even stop to swap out my slippers.

I flagged a cab at the curb, heart racing and head spinning with worry as I sped toward the school.

When I got to the school, I rushed straight to the teacher's office.

Grace was standing off to the side with her little arms crossed, back straight like she was ready for battle, her face set in stubborn defiance, but her eyes were brimming with hurt and indignation.

Right next to her, Lily was bawling her eyes out, her wails sharp and piercing, like she'd just suffered the worst injustice in the world.

After a bit of questioning, I finally got the whole story.

Turned out, for the field day, the kids had to put their dad's name on the registration card. Nobody expected that both Grace and Lily wrote down the same name—David.