Chapter 4

At the amusement park.

Charlotte was on the carousel with Teddy, while Lily stood outside the railing with me.

Teddy waved happily, screaming, "Charlotte, look at me!"

Charlotte smiled, snapping photos of him with her phone.

Lily watched them with envy, whispering, "Daddy, can I ride too?"

I took her to join the queue.

But by the time we got on, Charlotte had already taken Teddy to the next ride.

Sitting on the wooden horse, Lily kept turning her head, searching for Charlotte’s figure in the crowd.

Once we got off, she tugged my hand. "Daddy, let's find them, please?"

I nodded and led her forward.

We found them at the bumper cars.

Teddy was sitting next to Charlotte, laughing loudly.

Lily stood against the railing, watching them, completely still.

After a while, Teddy spotted us. He pointed at Lily and asked, "Charlotte, who is that girl?"

Charlotte glanced at us, her voice indifferent. "Just a friend's kid."

*Just a friend's kid.*

Hearing those words, Lily’s face crumbled as if something inside her had shattered.

But she didn't cry. She just lowered her head and gripped my hand with all her might.

That afternoon, Lily didn't smile again.

On the ride home, she remained completely silent.

That night, after checking our bags one last time, I went into her room.

She was sitting on her bed, clutching her rabbit.

"Daddy," she looked up. "Are we leaving tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Will..." she hesitated. "Will she miss us?"

I was silent for a long time.

"Lily, some people simply don't have room in their hearts for others."

Lily looked down, digesting my words.

Then, she looked up and hugged me tight. "That's okay. I only need Daddy."

My tears almost spilled over.

The next morning, we were ready to leave.

As I opened the door, Charlotte and Teddy were standing on the porch.

She paused, her eyes sweeping over our luggage. "You're leaving for your trip this early?"

"Yeah."

Teddy ran out from behind her. Seeing the plush rabbit in Lily’s arms, he snatched it away. "What is this? It's so ugly!"

Lily gasped, instinctively trying to grab it back.

Teddy threw the rabbit onto the muddy ground and stomped on it. "Trash!"

Lily’s eyes welled with tears, but she held them back.

Charlotte frowned slightly and told Teddy, "Don't do that." Then she looked at me. "Have a safe trip."

She led Teddy inside, brushing past us without sparing Lily a single glance.

Lily knelt down, picked up her dirt-covered rabbit, and carefully patted the dust off its fur.

"Let's go, Daddy."

I nodded, took her hand, and walked away.

At the gate of the neighborhood, I looked back at the building.

Three years ago, I thought this was a home.

Now I realized it was just a house we lived in.

"To the airport, please," I told the taxi driver.

As the car merged onto the highway, Lily leaned against me and whispered, "Daddy, I'm not sad."

I wrapped my arm around her. "I know, baby."

"Because I have you."

Looking at the city skyline fading in the window, I thought to myself:

*Goodbye, Charlotte.*

*This time, it's for real.*