Chapter 7

The day before Leo's birthday, Leo, with an eager look on his face, knocked on Jason's door, holding a ceramic doll in his hands.

"Mr. Carter, I made this in my craft class. It's for you," Leo said.

Edith knew Leo had worked so hard on this gift that his delicate fingers were raw and cracked. He must have tried countless times until he finally made the most perfect one.

Jason picked up the ceramic doll and examined it closely. It struck him as oddly familiar.

The doll was chubby, with simple, round features. It was dressed in a bright red dress, and there was a mole under one eye.

Jason narrowed his sharp eyes. "Where did you get the inspiration for this look?"

Leo didn't think much of it, just assuming Jason was interested in his work and hoping for a compliment. "I saw a ceramic doll in your study. I figured you must really like it, so I made one just like it. Do you like it, Mr. Carter?"

Jason's expression changed instantly. With a sharp crack, he smashed the ceramic doll on the floor and it was shattered into pieces.

Jason's heart clenched. He rushed straight to the study and searched the display cabinet. Only when he saw the doll that looked like Selina was still perfectly fine did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Seeing Leo trailing after him with a nervous look, Jason snapped, "Don't barge into my study and mess with my stuff again. I'm not your dad, and I don't need you giving me your crafts."

Leo held onto the shattered pieces of the ceramic doll, tears streaming down his cheeks.

His hands were pricked and bleeding from the sharp edges, and his heart was aching so badly that he could barely breathe, but he couldn't bring himself to let go of those broken fragments.

Edith's heart twisted with pain, and she felt so sorry for him.

She grabbed some ointment and gently treated Leo's wounds, whispering softly, "Leo, you didn't do anything wrong. If Mr. Carter doesn't care about your gift, I will treasure it."

Leo nodded, still sobbing.

Just then, Jason got a call from Selina. "Jason, Max made something in his craft class and insists on giving it to you tomorrow. I can't say no to him at all."

Then Max's sweet, playful voice chimed in, "Daddy, you'll like the gift I made for you, won't you?"

Jason's tone softened. "Of course, Max. No matter what you give me, I'll love it.

"When I get your gift tomorrow, I'll put it in my safe and treasure it forever, okay?"

Seeing Jason's completely different attitude, Leo sobbed so hard that he could barely breathe. Edith hugged him and led him away.

She soothed him gently, "Leo, sweetie, tomorrow is your birthday. Don't cry anymore, or your eyes will be puffy in the photos. Didn't you say you wanted to take some pictures with Mr. Carter?"

"Okay, Mommy, I'll listen to you. I won't cry anymore. Even though Mr. Carter broke my gift, tomorrow is my birthday, and I still want to celebrate it with him," Leo said.

Leo wiped away his tears, closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

*****

The next day was Leo's birthday, and luckily, it was the weekend, too.

Leo waved happily at Edith. "Mommy, I'm going hiking with Mr. Carter. See you later."

Edith nodded as she watched Leo head out, hoping he'd have a perfect birthday.

But as evening fell, Leo and Jason still hadn't returned home.

Edith felt a strange sense of unease. Suddenly, her phone rang unexpectedly.

It was the first time Jason had ever called her.

She hurried to answer, and Jason's cool voice came over the phone. "Edith, your son is still up on the mountain."

Edith's mind went blank with a ringing in her ears. She couldn't believe what she was hearing and blurted out, "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean exactly what I said," Jason replied coldly. "I told you, I won't let him call me 'Daddy' anymore. If he does, I'll leave at once."

Before Edith could ask anything else, the call abruptly ended.

Edith felt like her heart was about to stop. Just as she was about to rush out to look for Leo, her phone rang again.

It was Selina, and she sounded a bit irritated. "Edith, I know Leo doesn't have a dad, but you really shouldn't let him call Jason 'Daddy'.

"It's fine for Jason to hang out with him, but letting Leo call him 'Daddy' made Jason lose his temper and... You'd better hurry to Greenhill and look for Leo."

After the call ended, Edith barely managed to piece together what had happened from their conversation.

Leo must've called Jason "Daddy" right in front of Selina.

That was why Jason, in a fit of anger, dumped him on the mountain.

But Leo was Jason's own flesh and blood, and it was his birthday. Edith couldn't believe how Jason could possibly be so cruel, leaving Leo all alone on the mountain.

He was just a little kid, barely five years old.

She couldn't even bear to think about what kind of danger Leo might be facing out there alone on the mountain.