Chapter 3

Early that morning, Olivia’s soft voice drifted from the living room:

“Steve, are we going alone? Or… should we still invite Emily and Andy? I’m afraid they’ll overthink things. I’m fine, but Chloe is still young and can’t handle more stress…”

Chloe whispered in agreement, “Mom, I’m okay. Andy… he didn’t mean it.”

Steve’s voice was gentle:

“Chloe, honey, don’t overthink it. Taking them would just cause more trouble, and it’s not good for your condition.”

I sighed, rolled over, and drifted back to sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, I was brutally pulled from the bed.

Steve practically dragged me into the living room.

“Look at what your good-for-nothing Andy has done!” His voice was barely controlled rage. “Look at Chloe!”

Olivia was holding a trembling Chloe, who was covered in food stains, her eyes red.

Andy was sitting amidst the mess, clutching three insulated lunchboxes, his little face beet-red, tears falling in big drops onto the floor.

“I didn’t push her!” he cried. “She’s a thief! She stole the lunch Mom made for me! I just wanted to get it back!”

Steve didn’t even look at him. He was carefully wiping Chloe with a wet wipe, whispering words of comfort to Olivia. Only after he finished did he turn to me, his eyes filled with a weary, knowing look, as if to say, “I knew it.”

“Emily, just because I asked you to make a few extra lunches, you got resentful and taught Andy to do such despicable things again?”

“You made a promise last night. Are you already going back on your word?”

I took a deep breath, patiently explaining:

“I really didn’t. And I believe Andy isn’t lying. I already left your lunches on the dining table. Maybe Chloe accidentally picked up the wrong one…”

“Enough.” Steve interrupted impatiently, his eyes like he was watching a pathetic act.

“Stop acting. I haven’t forgotten what you’ve done before. You should really reflect on how to be a competent mother.”

All my words caught in my throat.

We had agreed to meet each other halfway; as long as he kept his distance from Olivia and Chloe, we would be fine.

After that, Steve did come home on time and reported his whereabouts.

But if Chloe got even a tiny scratch at kindergarten, he would always show up immediately, unilaterally demanding Andy apologize. When Andy was unable to defend himself, Steve would just coldly look at me:

“Emily, are your promises so worthless? Stop making a fuss. Don’t exhaust all my patience and feelings. If it comes to that, there’ll be nothing left for us to say.”

The worst time, he just dropped a line: “An Andy with such malicious thoughts? I don’t want him.”

Young Andy couldn’t bear such words. He chased after him barefoot, his feet bloody from the pavement, grabbing his shirt and admitting to all the groundless accusations:

“Dad! I’m sorry! It’s all my fault! I won’t ever do it again! I apologized to Chloe!”

“Please don’t abandon Mom and me!”

From then on, Andy never dared to defend himself.

I sighed softly. What was the point of explaining? In his eyes, we were already repeat offenders with a record.

I hugged Andy tight, my voice low and calm: “Andy, give them the lunchboxes.”

Andy’s body stiffened, then he wiped his face hard, no longer arguing, and silently pushed the tightly protected lunchboxes toward them.

Steve no longer looked at us. He bent down, picked up Chloe in one arm, and with his other hand, gently guided Olivia’s back, shielding them by his side as he turned and left.

“Bang—!”

The door slammed shut, clean and sharp, and the house suddenly became terrifyingly quiet.

Only Andy and I were left, amidst the scattered mess on the floor.

I silently picked up a cloth and began cleaning. Andy also knelt down, helping me pick up the overturned items. After a while, I quietly asked:

“Andy, if one day, Mom and Dad separate…”

“Who would you want to live with?”

When things were at their worst with Steve, I had asked him this, and back then he had cried his heart out:

“I don’t want Mom and Dad to separate. I want our family to be together forever.”

But now, he barely hesitated. He looked up, his eyes clear and firm:

“I’ll stay with Mom.”

“No matter what happens, I’ll only stay with Mom.”

I looked at him and suddenly smiled. The last bit of chill in my heart instantly melted into warmth.

I stroked his head.

“Okay.”

Then there was nothing to be afraid of.