Chapter 3

I stayed at the orphanage for a few days before returning to the old apartment.

Suppressing the ghosts of memories lurking in every corner, I began clearing out the clutter.

When Natalie was taken back by the Vances, they told us to leave everything behind; the estate had everything a child could ever desire.

The decor of this tiny place had frozen on that very day.

I once thought her return to wealth was a winning lottery ticket. Turns out, it was just the alarm bell waking me from a beautiful dream.

After boxing up everything that belonged to Natalie, I crashed onto the bed and slept straight through until noon.

When I checked my phone, there were a dozen missed calls—all from Natalie.

While I was browsing through them, an unknown number dialed in.

"Hello, is this Leo Vance's father?"

"I'm Leo's homeroom teacher. Leo is refusing to eat the cafeteria lunch today. He claims his father always packs his meals personally."

The teacher paused, her tone polite but strained:

"Did you happen to forget since it's the start of the term?"

I frowned, having no idea what game Leo was playing.

Leo attended the most exclusive private academy in the city; their dining hall prioritized both Michelin-star flavor and balanced nutrition.

Besides, the last few times I had packed lunchboxes for him, he brought them home completely untouched.

"Hello, ma'am. He doesn't need my cooking anymore. The family's private chefs will handle his meals from now on."

I added calmly:

"I am no longer Leo's father. You can contact his mother directly regarding anything about him. Please don't call me again."

The teacher must have had the phone on speaker, because Leo was clearly standing right next to her.

A sharp gasp echoed through the receiver:

"Leo! Don't run off!"

The teacher stammered an apology and abruptly hung up.

I thought back to my own youth; I never had such unpredictable, turbulent teenage angst.

Though in truth, Leo’s demeanor had always been chillingly consistent.

His grandparents hated having him around me, taking him away to their country club every summer break.

Consequently, Leo grew colder by the day. At first, he would ask:

"Why do you always do servant's work?"

"Don't you realize you're wasting your life?"

"Other kids' dads fly private jets. Why do you only know how to make dinner?"

Eventually, he stopped talking to me altogether. The only way I knew what school assignments he had was through the parent portal.

He didn't care, and the Vance elders were only too happy to see him cut ties with me.

I hung up and headed out to the local market.

Just as I was comparing cast-iron skillets, Natalie’s call came through.

"What did you say to Leo? He's throwing a fit and refusing to eat!"

"Can you just come home? The boy still needs you."

In the background, a deep, familiar male voice chimed in:

"Let's just take Leo to my family's new steakhouse downtown."

Natalie seemed to step away from him before speaking into the phone again, her voice lowered:

"That was just a business partner. Do you know where my allergy meds are? The new chef put carrots in my salad; he didn't know I was allergic."

Her voice carried a rare touch of helplessness. I rubbed my temples, utterly exhausted.

"Natalie, if you can't find something, order it online or tell your butler to run to the pharmacy. It’s a lot faster than waiting on my phone call."

"I told you to get a medical allergen test for both you and Leo so this wouldn't happen."

Natalie fell silent for a long moment.

"Can you at least send your recipes to our chef? Great-Grandpa misses your cooking terribly."

"And what about Leo’s school projects? You're just dropping them? I'm swamped at the office."

Hearing her mention Great-Grandpa softened my heart for a split second.

He was the only elder in the Vance family who had ever stood up for me, and he genuinely loved my food.

Still, I refused to be dragged back into their toxic orbit.

"Homestyle recipes are all over the internet."

"Natalie, the boy never recognized me as his father. You know that better than anyone."

"I'm starting a new chapter of my life. Stop disturbing my peace, both of you. Let's just leave each other alone."