My Husband Made Her Son His Heir

Joyful laughter and playful shouts floated in from outside. I could hear Jalen calling "Dad" repeatedly, with Benjamin responding tenderly each time. I listened to the lively sounds while mulling over upcoming plans. The time flew by, and suddenly, my phone rang. It was my mom.

"Did you have some cake on your birthday today?" Ava asked with genuine concern, reminding me I hadn't eaten anything yet. Before hanging up, she worriedly asked when I'd be coming back home. In the five years since moving abroad, my visits had been scarce. Initially, this was due to an unstable job situation, but later, Benjamin said traveling back and forth was too much trouble.

As I stepped out of the room, Jalen suddenly flung a toy at me. "You're bad! Why are you in my house? Are you taking my dad away again?" Before I could reply, Nora swiftly crouched down to apologize. "Sorry, Kiara, he's just a kid. Don’t take it to heart."

Benjamin, standing nearby with a guarded expression, cut in, "It's nothing to worry about, no need for apologies. Jalen wouldn't act this way if he hadn't been scared before." He spoke while positioning himself protectively with Nora and her son. "Kiara Long, holding a grudge against a five-year-old would be pretty low, even for me."

I stayed silent, feeling the blame fall squarely on me. "Carry on, I just need to grab something." Opening the fridge, I realized the cake I'd meticulously prepared was gone. A quick glance at the living room revealed the remnants—a messy cake smeared across the table. Benjamin noticed my gaze but appeared unbothered. "Oh, was that your cake? Jalen said he didn’t like the taste and left it. If you’d like, I can get another one for you."

I tossed my mangled cake into the trash, keeping my tone even. "No need." Then, I headed for the door. Benjamin soon caught up with me, asking, "Kiara Long, where are you going?"

His question puzzled me. It was unusual for Benjamin to leave Nora and follow me outside. "Why are you trailing me?" This surprised him. In the past, his pursuit would have made me ecstatic, forgiving him anything. But now, his expression faltered, perhaps thrown by my indifferent attitude.

"I... I saw you leaving without saying anything, and I was concerned," he mumbled.

I shrugged casually, "I’m just going out to find something to eat."

At that moment, Nora and Jalen approached. "Kiara, Jalen said he wants pizza. Why not join us? Consider it an apology from me." "I don't like..." I began, but Benjamin cut me off, accepting the invitation for me and told me to grab the car.

Having already decided to leave, I chose to avoid an argument with Benjamin, so I obliged and went to the garage. When I drove out, Benjamin climbed into the backseat with Nora and Jalen. It wasn't until we were on the road that he seemed to realize this and awkwardly explained, "Jalen's just really attached to me, so I..."

Watching them through the rearview mirror, they looked every bit the happy family, prompting me to interrupt Benjamin, irritated. "You all make a nice picture together. Plus, you know the front seat can be dangerous."

My comment seemed to catch Benjamin off guard. During a previous argument, he had said nearly the same thing about the front seat with frustration, "Why so worked up about the front seat? It's not even safe." The rest of the drive, I was an observer, detached from their cheerful camaraderie, in my own car.