Chapter 4

On Felix's sixth birthday, Alysha took half a day off to come home.

I made a full spread and baked a chocolate cake, which was Felix's favorite. I got up at four in the morning to make it, and spent two hours on the frosting and decorations.

We lit the candles, and Felix closed his eyes to make a wish. "I wish Mom would always be with me, and—"

He opened his eyes, glanced at Alysha, then at me. "And I wish that guy would leave soon."

Alysha didn't react at all.

The lighter slipped from my hand.

"Who do you mean?" I asked.

Felix looked at me, his eyes clear and unguarded.

A six-year-old couldn't fake it.

He didn't hate me. He genuinely saw me as someone unnecessary in his life.

Alysha said, "Alright, blow out the candles."

Felix took a deep breath and blew hard.

The candles flickered out.

The smoke drifted up, making his little face look hazy.

I clapped my hands and said, "Happy birthday."

My voice was steady, but my hands were a bit chilly.

Back to the present time.

After what happened at the police station, I went home.

When I opened the door, the place was spotless. I'd just mopped the floor before I left this morning.

The kitchen counter was sparkling clean, and the fridge was loaded up for three days.

I was used to it.

I walked into the bedroom, or, more accurately, the spare room.

Alysha had the master bedroom. We'd been married for six years, but we'd never shared a bed.

The spare room was 87 square feet, with a single bed and a wardrobe.

I opened the wardrobe. There were not many clothes in it.

Being a stay-at-home dad, I really didn't need much, only a couple of durable T-shirts and jeans that could take a beating.

I grabbed a suitcase and started packing.

I only had some clothes, two books, and an old watch my dad left me.

Fifteen minutes, and that was it.

Six years of life were squeezed into a 20-inch suitcase.

Damn, it felt so light.

I set the house keys on the shoe cabinet and took one last look around.

The family photo in the living room. I was not in it.

Occasionally, my profile appeared in the photos on Felix's growth wall. I was wiping his mouth, impossible to crop out.

I chuckled and pulled my suitcase behind me.

The door clicked shut behind me.

In the elevator, I pulled out my phone.

Alysha had replied: [I got Felix. What's your deal? Why are you so pissed?]

Me: [You pick the time for city hall tomorrow. I'll show up.]

Ten seconds later.

Alysha: [Are you serious?]

Me: [I've never been more serious.]

There was a long silence.

Then she called.

I picked up.

"Landon, are you out of your mind? You're really going to take a kid's words to heart?" Alysha snapped.

"Alysha Slater," I said, using her full name, my voice so calm it surprised even me. "Every single thing he said came straight from you."

Alysha started, "When did I ever say that—"

I said, "Felix called me 'just some guy living in his house.' In his drawing, I'm the babysitter. His birthday wish was for me to leave. And today, at the police station, he said he didn't even know me."

I leaned against the elevator wall. "Once, maybe it's a kid talking nonsense. Twice, maybe he's repeating what he hears. But three, four times? Alysha, you practically branded 'Landon's not family' right on his forehead."

Alysha went quiet on the other end.

I kept going, "I owed Jonas my life, but I don't owe you a damn thing, Alysha. It's been six years. I've paid my debt. From now on, we're nothing to each other."

Alysha started, "You—"

I interrupted, "Tomorrow, nine am at city hall."

I hung up.

The elevator reached the first floor. The doors slid open, and the sunlight was shining bright outside.

The March sunlight washed over me, so warm it felt almost surreal.

I dragged my suitcase and walked out of the neighborhood.

Just three steps out, my phone started ringing again.

It was Darcie.

"Landon! Get back here! Think you're all grown up now, huh?" Darcie yelled.

I held the phone a couple of inches away, but her voice still blasted my eardrums.

"Darcie—" I blurted out, then caught myself.

I didn't have to call her that anymore.

"Six years! You've been living off my daughter, eating her food, and now you just walk out? Did a dog eat your conscience?" Darcie shouted.

I took a deep breath.

I replied, "First, the house was bought by Jonas, not your daughter. Second, I never spent a single cent of hers. All the household expenses came from my own savings. Third—"

I let out a bitter laugh. "Alysha never said a single kind word to me in six years, and today her own son called me a kidnapper. So tell me. Whose conscience really got eaten by a dog?"

I hung up and blocked Darcie.

I felt as refreshed as if I'd just taken a hot shower.

I stood by the roadside and hailed a cab.

"Mister, to Greenview Road, please," I said.

There was a small hotel there, 40 dollars a night. It was clean and quiet.

That was enough.

For the first time in six years, I didn't have to worry about when Alysha would get home or when Felix needed to eat. I could finally live on my own schedule.

All afternoon, I lay on the hotel bed, not doing a single thing.

I found myself staring up at the ceiling.

The ceiling was white, except for a water stain.

I lost myself staring at that water stain for two whole hours.

My mind was completely blank.

It wasn't sadness. It was nothing but emptiness.

For six years, every single minute of my life had been packed with responsibilities.

Now that I suddenly had all this free time, I honestly had no idea what to do with myself.

I rolled over and picked up my phone.

I scrolled through my contacts.

Friends? I hadn't reached out to any of them in six years.

Colleagues? I left my job six years ago.

Family? My parents died when I was young, and I was an only child.

Staring at my empty contacts list, I couldn't help but let out a bitter laugh.

From twenty-eight to thirty-four were the prime years of a man's life.

And I gave them all to a woman who never loved me and a kid who never even saw me as his father.

Was I stupid? Absolutely. But I didn't regret it.

Jonas really sacrificed his life for me with that push.

I spent the last six years paying him back.

From now on, my life was mine again.

I put my phone down and closed my eyes.

For the first time in six years, I slept soundly. I had no worries, no regrets, just peace.