Leaving the Dust to Settle

Vivian eventually grew more and more preoccupied. I trusted her and believed that she'd be able to maintain proper boundaries with other men. So, I didn't dwell on the matter.

However, she changed.

One day, Desiree developed a high fever. When her teacher couldn't get in contact with Vivian, the school had no choice but to contact me instead.

While at the hospital, I called Vivian numerous times, but she never answered the phone.

Around midnight, she finally showed up at the hospital. She said nonchalantly, "An old friend from college just returned to the country. We were catching up over dinner, and my phone ran out of battery halfway through the meal."

Then, she added, "Kids get sick all the time. Stop making a big fuss out of nothing!"

Suppressing my anger, I tried to reason with her. "Your daughter needs you more than ever right now. You should be paying more attention to her."

Frowning, she replied, "Am I not allowed to have friends of the opposite gender? Stop being so petty, Zachary."

She justified her behavior and spoke as if I was accusing her of something that wasn't true.

I kept convincing myself to trust her. Yet one day, I caught an employee watching a live stream at work, and I realized that Desiree's kindergarten was hosting a parent-child activity.

The live stream showed Liam and Vivian holding Desiree's hands. Meanwhile, Desiree—my biological daughter—was sweetly addressing Liam as her dad.

If Liam was her dad, what did that make me?

The glass in my hands slipped, shattering loudly as it hit the ground.

I suppressed the aching feeling in my heart and drove to the kindergarten. By the time I got there, the event had just ended.

I watched as Vivian, Liam, and Desiree left the building with bright smiles on their faces.

Trying to maintain my composure, I said, "You must've had a long day, Desiree. I'm here to pick you up."

To my surprise, Desiree instantly hid behind Liam. With a look of contempt, she snapped, "I don't want to leave with you! You're an uncultured person. I want Liam to be my dad instead!"

I froze for a brief moment. Then, I recalled how strangely she'd been behaving recently.

As of late, she'd been constantly refusing to attend her enrichment classes. She would yell, "You're so useless, Dad! How can you force me to do things that you aren't even capable of doing yourself?"

Initially, I assumed that she was simply throwing a tantrum because she was having trouble with her studies. So, I didn't think much of it.

In hindsight, I should've known better.

I'd showered Desiree with endless love and affection as she was growing up, so I felt incredibly heartbroken.

"Are you actually refusing to go home with me?" I asked.

I wasn't sure if I sounded too cold, but Desiree was so taken aback by my response that she burst into tears.

"I don't want you anymore! You ruined Mom's relationship with Liam. I could've had a college professor as my dad if it wasn't for you! If that were the case, I would've probably been a lot smarter than I am now!" she shouted.

I raised my head and looked at Vivian. "Do you feel the same way too?"

She'd kept herself in good shape, so it barely looked like she'd aged over the years.

If no one had told Desiree about what had happened back then, she wouldn't have made those comments.

I practically raised Desiree all by myself. Before she enrolled in kindergarten, I even worked from home so I could look after her.

In contrast, Vivian spent the majority of her time on leisure activities. She didn't care for our daughter at all.

Despite everything I'd done for Desiree, it seemed like she'd always listened to Vivian more than me. Since she was a girl, perhaps she just naturally felt closer to her mother.

Vivian was the last person who could accuse me of being unrefined or uncultured. Back then, my grades had definitely been enough to get me into a better college.

Vivian avoided my gaze and yelled, "Can you not argue with me in front of the kindergarten? It's so embarrassing."

Then, she turned toward Liam and continued in a gentle tone, "Thank you for spending so much time with Desiree for the last few days. Please let me buy you dinner tonight."

Liam nodded. Then, he turned toward me and declared, "Don't worry, Mr. Green. I'll make sure to take good care of your wife and daughter."

With that, the three of them walked past me and left.

Later that night, I sat on the living room couch and waited for Vivian and Desiree to return home. But to my dismay, they never did.