Chapter 3

I unlocked the banking app with my fingerprint, and the account screen came up.

I didn't check my main account. I had moved that money somewhere safe a long time ago.

Instead, I checked the card I had given Gina and our joint account, which we had called our family fund.

What I saw made my stomach drop all over again.

The balance was 48 dollars.

I laughed in disbelief.

Every month, I would put seven thousand dollars into that joint account for our household expenses and savings. After seven years, there should have been a substantial amount sitting there.

Now, there wasn't even enough left for a decent dinner.

…

The next day was Saturday.

When I woke up, the other side of the bed was cold.

Gina hadn't come back to the master bedroom last night.

I walked out and heard laughter coming from the living room.

Trixie was sitting on Gina's shoulders, waving the Barbie doll in the air.

"Go, Mommy! Run! The evil witch is coming for us!" Trixie squealed.

Liam stood nearby with a plate of fruit, smiling. "Careful, you two. Don't fall."

Sunlight poured over the three of them, and the whole scene looked painfully warm and happy.

I stood in the shadows, feeling like I didn't belong in my own home.

Trixie noticed me first, and her smile vanished. She slid off Gina's shoulders and hid the Barbie doll behind her back.

She had done it without even thinking.

Trixie was afraid of me.

"Good morning, Dad." Her voice was timid.

Gina's smile faded too, and she rubbed her neck. "You're up? There's food on the stove. Heat it up yourself."

Liam walked over and held a peeled grape to Trixie's mouth. "Come on, Trixie. Have some fruit."

Trixie opened her mouth and happily ate it.

I walked over. "Trixie, you haven't brushed your teeth yet, and you're already eating something sweet?"

Trixie stopped chewing and looked to Liam for help.

Liam immediately stepped in. "Jordan, it's the weekend, so let Trixie have some fun. Besides, grapes have vitamin C. They're good for her."

"Exactly. It's too early in the morning for this." Gina backed him up. "Look at how good Liam is with her. Trixie's closer to him than she is to you."

I quietly watched the two of them back each other up.

Then I said, "Liam, since you're so good with Trixie, why don't you start taking her to her classes and helping her with her homework?"

Liam froze for a moment, then lowered his head. "I… I'm not very well educated, so I'm afraid I might end up teaching Trixie the wrong things. But I can handle everything else and make things easier for you."

"Everything else?" I sneered. "You mean teaching Trixie to lie to me?"

The room went silent.

Gina shot to her feet. "Jordan Glasby! What the hell is wrong with you? What do you mean he taught her to lie?"

I looked at Trixie, whose eyes darted around nervously. "Trixie, where did you get that Barbie doll?"

Trixie flinched and instinctively straightened her back.

She looked to Liam for help again.

Liam didn't look at her. He kept arranging the fruit, but I caught the slight curl of his lips and the quick glance to his right.

He was giving Trixie a signal.

Trixie quickly looked away and blurted out, "I borrowed it from Michelle at preschool!"

"Borrowed?" I stared at her. "Michelle wasn't at preschool yesterday. She was home sick, so how did you borrow it?"

Her lie fell apart instantly.

Trixie panicked and burst into tears. "You're always yelling at me! Uncle Liam was right. You just don't want me to have any fun! You're a bad dad!"

She called me a bad dad.

Those words hit me hard.

Liam immediately put down the plate of fruit and rushed over to hold Trixie, gently patting her back.

"Hey, don't cry. Your dad didn't mean it like that. Jordan, come on. She only lied because she was afraid you'd yell at her. Did you really have to grill her like that?"

As he spoke, he looked at me with a mix of annoyance and helplessness, as if I was being unreasonable.

Gina was even angrier. She pointed straight at me and shouted, "Jordan, just look at yourself! Are you losing your mind? It's still early in the morning, and you're already turning this place upside down. Do you have any love left for this family?"

Instead of getting worked up, I laughed. "Gina, Trixie lied. Instead of teaching her right from wrong, you're blaming me for finding out the truth? Is that what you call love?"

"Enough!" Gina waved me off impatiently. "Leave your work attitude at the office. Don't bring it into this home. Liam, take Trixie to wash her face. Just ignore this nutcase!"