Past the Crossroads of No Return

In the end, Naomi gave that drawing to Luther. She even said, "In my heart, Mr. Lloyd will forever be the daddy I love most!"

As Willow walked past me, her voice was cold. "Do whatever you want with the soup."

Normally, knowing she had made it herself, I would've forced myself to eat it, no matter what. This time, however, I poured them straight down the sink.

I also sent a message to my lawyer, telling him to include a clause that I would voluntarily give up custody of Naomi.

For the next two days, Willow and Naomi didn't come home. I knew what they had been doing exactly because everything I had to know was on Willow's Instagram.

In one post, Naomi sat on Luther's shoulders, grinning and holding up a cotton candy. Willow stood nearby, looking at them with a happy smile. The caption read, "Our simple happiness."

At a bistro, Willow fed Luther a bite of cut steak, smiling the whole time.

More glaring photos like these flashed past my eyes. I said nothing and simply hit "like".

Suddenly, Naomi's homeroom teacher called, saying no one was coming to the parent-teacher meeting. I thought, since it was the last one, I might as well go.

When I arrived, Naomi was showing off to a group of kids. "My daddy treats me like a princess. He's the best daddy in the whole wide world!"

My chest tightened for a moment. A tiny warmth sparked inside me. I smiled and called out, "Naomi."

To my surprise, she suddenly screamed and shoved me away. "Who told you to come?"

The other kids started whispering. A girl even pointed at me and asked, "Naomi, isn't this your dad?"

"No, he's not!" Naomi replied aggressively, grabbing a crayon from the table and throwing it at me. "My daddy is a million times better than him! Now, go, you bad guy!"

In that instant, it hit me. She hadn't been talking about me, but Luther.

A bitter laugh slipped out as I lowered my head, just in time to see Willow and Luther approaching arm in arm for the doorway.

Instantly, Naomi's face lit up. She ran straight into his arms, pride glowing in her eyes.

"See him? This is my real daddy!"

Meanwhile, Willow pulled me aside, frowning impatiently. "What are you doing here? Naomi's at that age where she cares a lot about appearances. Go home and don't embarrass her!"

For once, I pushed back. "I'm her father."

She snorted in my face. "Father? Look at you, and look at Luther. He's a well-known artist, while you're just some insignificant corporate worker. You might not feel embarrassed, but I do."

I was stunned for a moment.

Over the past few years, the company had hinted at promoting me, but I had always turned it down because I was worried I couldn't take care of my family. Now, somehow, that was being used as a reason to look down on me.

Luther stepped forward with a smile, wrapping an arm around Willow's waist. His eyes flicked to me, as if challenging me.

"Come on, Willow, don't be too harsh," he said. "Maybe Skyler is just trying to do right by Naomi. Of course, sometimes, it's better to step down. Naomi just joked about wanting me to adopt her."

Then came another pointed look from him.

Naomi quickly tugged on Willow's sleeve, her excitement bubbling over. "Yes, please! Mommy, I want Mr. Lloyd to be my daddy! Please let him adopt me! That way, I can finally call him 'Daddy' openly!"

I caught the victorious gleam in Luther's eyes and couldn't help but remember last week.

Naomi had been pestering me about wanting to learn to draw. I had run down three blocks late at night to buy her imported crayons. In the end, she had proudly given the drawing to Luther instead.

I hung my head, shaking it lightly, and walked past them. It didn't matter anymore. I wasn't going to fight for custody, anyway. From now on, she could call whoever she wanted "Daddy" for all I cared.

Luther, however, suddenly stepped forward and blocked my way.