Chapter 2
The next morning, Jason came downstairs.
Leo carefully cradled a freshly made sandwich and took tiny steps toward him, his eyes shining with pure adoration.
"Daddy, I know how to make sandwiches now. I made this one just for you," Leo said.
Jason's eyes instantly turned cold, and he pushed Leo away without a hint of warmth.
Leo stumbled and fell to the floor. The plate landed on him, and the carefully made sandwich shattered and scattered everywhere, leaving his face dirty with bits of food.
Jason acted like he didn't even care, his voice cold as ice. "If I hear you call me 'Daddy' again, I won't ever come home."
He turned to Edith, who was approaching. "Watch your son."
With that, Jason left with a sullen face, slamming the door behind him.
Edith watched the scene unfold, her heart twisting in pain. This was the reality she and Leo had endured for five years.
She hurried over, her heart aching, and gently helped Leo up, wiping his face. "Leo, did you get hurt anywhere?"
Leo's eyes were red as he shook his head, his voice muffled with tears. "Mom, it's the first day, and Mr. Carter didn't care about us. We still have twenty-nine days left.
"If he keeps ignoring us, we'll leave forever, and he'll never be able to find us."
Edith wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes, forcing a smile as she comforted Leo. "Alright. If he doesn't cherish us, we'll make sure he never finds us again."
For several days straight, Jason didn't come home.
Edith was getting ready to leave. She booked their flights overseas and arranged passports for herself and Leo.
One day, on Edith's way home, her phone suddenly blew up with notifications from her college major group chat, which had been quiet for ages.
[Hey, the class reunion is today. Don't forget.]
After the group leader spoke up, a bunch of people chimed in, saying they were almost there.
Edith was preparing to leave the country, and she knew she might never see some of her old friends again.
As she scrolled through the group chat, she realized Leo wouldn't be out of school for a while, so she decided to head over.
As soon as she walked into the private room, her college roommate pulled her over and sat her down with a big smile.
The class president counted the heads. "Looks like almost everyone's here. We're just missing our campus heartthrob and belle."
As soon as those two campus legends were mentioned, the whole room exploded with excitement.
"Now that you mention them, I've got a lot to talk about."
"Remember how those two were the hottest couple on campus? They made the rest of us look like extras in a movie. Jason fought for Selina, cut the power, and even set off fireworks for her. It was like a romance novel.
"Who would've thought they'd break up out of nowhere? Life's full of surprises."
As soon as that person finished, the door to the private room swung open again.
Jason and Selina walked in side by side, and every single person in the room turned to stare at them.
The whole place exploded with excitement, and everyone rushed over to crowd around them.
No matter how many people tried to strike up a conversation, it was like there was a natural barrier around Jason and Selina. Nobody could get between them.
Jason, completely at ease, peeled fruit for Selina and ordered her drinks as if it were second nature.
When he saw Selina shiver, he instantly took off his jacket and wrapped it around her.
He was so attentive that everyone couldn't help but start teasing them.
"Jason, Selina, after you two broke up, everyone always thought you'd get back together someday."
"Yeah, when you two suddenly split, Jason was a wreck. He holed up in bars for weeks and wouldn't talk to anyone. Only when someone mentioned Selina would he respond."
"Jason even waited at the spot where he was going to propose for days. No one could drag him away."
"I heard Selina got divorced and came back to the country. Seeing you two all lovey-dovey now, is something good about to happen?"
Selina's cheeks flushed as she instinctively glanced at Jason, waiting to see how he'd react.
Jason smirked a little and didn't deny it.
Everyone took it as confirmation, and the teasing and excited screams wouldn't stop.
Edith sat in the corner. Her nails dug painfully into her palms, and her expression was strained and barely holding together.
Jason wasn't even divorced yet. His legal wife was right here in the room, and he just let everyone try to pair him up with Selina.
How ridiculous.
Then someone suggested playing a game, and everyone jumped right in.
At first, the dares were pretty harmless, but as things heated up, the dares got crazier. Still, everyone went through with them, no matter how wild.
This round, Selina lost.
She randomly drew a punishment card.
It read: [Kiss the person sitting to your left for ten seconds.]
As soon as everyone saw what was written on the card, the whole room went dead silent.
If Selina didn't complete the dare, she'd have to down ten shots of ice wine.
But the guy sitting to her left wasn't Jason.
"Well, Selina, maybe you should just drink instead," someone suggested.
Selina looked really uncomfortable, clearly not wanting to do the dare. "I'm allergic to alcohol, so I really can't drink. Guess I'll have to take the loss."
As she was about to lean in and kiss the guy on her left, Jason suddenly grabbed her and pulled her away.
His face was sullen with jealousy as he wrapped her tightly in his arms.
Before anyone could react, Jason shoved the guy on Selina's left, sat down, and firmly pressed her head to him, claiming her lips in a fierce kiss.
In an instant, the whole room went wild.
"Holy shit!"
"Jason, the dare was to kiss the guy on her left. You're on her right, dude!"