Chapter 3

That night, Charlotte actually came home early.

Lily was playing with blocks in the living room. When she saw the door open, her eyes lit up, but she remained frozen, too scared to approach.

Charlotte glanced at her briefly, said nothing, and walked straight to her bedroom.

Lily lowered her head and went back to her blocks.

Standing by the kitchen door, I felt an unbearable tightness in my chest.

During dinner, Charlotte’s phone rang.

"Julian? Sure, I'll be right over."

She put down her fork and stood up to leave.

Lily finally couldn't help herself. She called out in a tiny voice, "Mo—"

Charlotte stopped, turning around with a cold glare. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

Lily’s face turned paper-white.

Her lips trembled. "Charlotte... are you going out?"

"Yes."

Charlotte turned and left.

The moment the front door clicked shut, Lily’s tears fell.

But she didn't make a sound. She just wiped her face with the back of her hand.

Seeing her like this, the string that had been pulled tight in my heart for three years finally snapped.

I walked over and knelt before her. "Lily, Daddy wants to ask you something."

Lily looked up, her eyes red and puffy.

"If Daddy takes you to a place far away, a place without Charlotte... would you want to go?"

Lily stared at me.

After a long pause, she whispered, "Will she come looking for us?"

I stayed silent for a moment. "No."

Lily looked down, thinking for what felt like an eternity.

Then, she looked up and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Wherever Daddy goes, I go."

At that moment, my mind was made up.

Over the next few days, I began making quiet preparations.

I resigned from my job as her driver, sold my car, and secured a small apartment and a school placement in a quiet coastal town in Maine.

Every day when I picked Lily up, I would ask her, "Lily, are you sure you want to go with Daddy?"

And every time, she would nod. "Yes."

But at night, before she slept, I still heard her hugging that plush rabbit, whispering, "Goodbye, Mommy."

On the fifth night, Charlotte called me.

"Tomorrow is the weekend. Bring Lily to the mall. I want to buy her some clothes."

I was stunned.

In three years, this was the first time she had ever offered to buy Lily anything.

"Okay."

The next day, we met at the mall.

Charlotte walked ahead, while Lily and I followed a few paces behind.

Lily held my hand tightly, her eyes fixed on Charlotte’s back.

At the kids' clothing section, Charlotte stopped and grabbed a few dresses. "Try these on."

Lily was overwhelmed with joy. She took the clothes carefully and whispered, "Thank you, Charlotte."

Charlotte frowned slightly but said nothing.

In the fitting room, Lily poked her head out. "Daddy, does this look pretty?"

I smiled. "Beautiful, sweetheart."

Lily then looked at Charlotte. "Charlotte, do you like it?"

Charlotte was staring at her phone, not even looking up. "Yeah."

The smile on Lily's face dimmed, but she still tried to stay happy.

At the register, the cashier smiled at Lily. "Your mom has great taste, sweetie."

Lily froze, lowering her head in silence.

Charlotte paid with a blank expression.

As soon as we stepped out of the mall, Charlotte’s phone rang again.

"Julian? Okay, I'm on my way."

She hung up and turned to me. "Take an Uber back. I have things to do."

She walked away without looking back.

Lily stood there, watching her mother's figure disappear into the bustling crowd.

After a long time, she looked up at me. "Daddy, did she leave us again?"

I picked her up. "She didn't leave us, baby. She just has her own life to live."

Lily buried her face in my shoulder.

But I felt her warm tears soaking into my neck.

***

3 (Cont.)

That night, I signed the final relocation documents.

Our flight was scheduled for the day after tomorrow at 10:00 AM.

The lease was terminated, and the suitcases were packed.

Everything was ready.

Before bed, I went into Lily’s room.

She was asleep, hugging her plush rabbit, with dried tear tracks on her cheeks.

I gently pulled the blanket over her and kissed her forehead.

"Lily, Daddy is taking you away. We're going to build our own life."

The next morning, Charlotte suddenly came home.

She stood in the living room, looking at the packed suitcases, her brow furrowing. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Taking Lily on a short trip."

She didn't ask further. She only said, "Julian and Teddy are staying here for a few days. It's actually perfect that you two won't be around. Less crowded."

I looked at her, suddenly finding the situation incredibly tragic.

"Okay."

Charlotte turned to leave, but then remembered something. "Oh, tomorrow is Teddy's birthday. I promised to take him to the amusement park. If Lily wants to join, she can. The kids can play together."

Before I could decline, Lily ran out of her room, her eyes shining. "Charlotte, can I really go?"

Charlotte looked at her and nodded. "Sure."

Lily literally jumped with joy.

But I knew she wasn't excited about the amusement park.

She was excited about being with her mother.

Looking at her bright smile, my heart ached.

We were leaving tomorrow anyway.

*Let her have this one happy day,* I thought.

***