6

With a quiet creak, the door opened, and Evan reached across to turn out the lights. The room was instantly engulfed in darkness.

His voice was hollow as he undid the robe tie. "It's late. Let's do this now. I have things to do.”

Evan was covered in a hazy shadow as light from the hallway filtered through the opening in the door.

When Rhea heard what he had said, she froze. Her voice was almost audible as she dared not enter. "Mr. Creed... It's me."

Evan hesitated. He wear back the robe, groped for the light switch and turned it back on.

Perplexed, he gazed at Rhea. "Why are you here?” 

Rhea had perspiration on her palms. She gave a nod. "Um sir.. she..”

Tension thickened the air in the room.

Evan was clearly irritated, but Rhea made an effort to diffuse the situation. "Mrs. Creed isn’t around.”

Evan merely answered, "okay," without going into further detail.

Just as Rhea was about to say something else, Evan suddenly sat up. As she watched him swing his legs over the bed, she tightly closed her mouth.

He was dressed and on his way to the door after five minutes.

Rhea’s thoughts were racing as she followed him downstairs. Something seemed to be slipping her mind.

She didn't remember that Cait had left something for Evan in the study until Evan’s automobile disappeared from the mansion.

******

Evan’s phone rang just as he was leaving the Estates. Traci asked, "What's wrong?" 

His features softened in the dashboard's low light.

Traci’s said in a low voice. "Ev, tomorrow is my major performance, but Katie’s school is having a parent-child opening day. I—“

Evan understood. He interrupted her. "Don't worry then. I'll have Cait go instead.”

From the other end came a sigh of relief. "All right. I’ll tell Katie the reason why I won’t be coming.”

"Just focus on your recital," Evan said.

After hanging up, he stopped on the side of the road. He looked through his call history, but he was unable to locate that well-known number.

It wasn't until then that he realized Cait hadn't given him a call in a long time. In the past, she used to call him all the time to ask what he wanted to eat before he came back from work.

However, even after going through multiple pages, he was still unable to see her phone number.

The latest contact record was from months ago, and he had no idea how long it took him to find it.

Was it really that long?

He was unable to recall if he had picked up.

He made a call.

An artificial, icy voice interrupted. "The number you are trying to reach is unavailable."

Evan froze. That was something he had never heard before. He gave it another go, but the outcome was the same. Nothing after six more attempts.

After giving up, he opened W******p and made a video call to her. However, her name was completely absent.

Finally, he texted her.

<Tomorrow is Katie’s parent-child opening day. She wants you to come. 3:00 PM>

After pressing send, he returned to the road and wondered where she went to.

******

Cait returned to the teacher's hostel after completing her final shift at B**e Elementary.

She was worn out.

She showered, put her phone on quiet, and fell asleep.

Her phone was vibrating when she woke up the following morning.

Half drowsy, she reached for it, anticipating her alarm. However, it was a reminder from the calendar that Ian’s birthday was tomorrow.

Ian Creed, the father of Evan.

They would host a quiet meal at home the day before his birthday, followed by a larger, more elaborate celebration on the big day.

Cait used to get up early to go to the market and then spend both days preparing elaborate meals for the Creeds' visitors. To make them happy, she would labor herself to death.

However, not this year. She was no longer so foolish. She laid over and went back to sleep after swiping the reminder away.

It was also her own father’s birthday too. The same day as Ian Creed. She was going to make her dad's favorite meal tomorrow after driving back to Hoth Manor tonight.

A stack of school alerts obscured Evan’s SMS from last night. 

At precisely three o'clock in the afternoon, Cait arrived at Hoth Manor the next day.

Her father, Mark Hoth; mother, Judy; brother, Philip; sister-in-law, Joan; and niece, Eva, were all present.

As the door opened, Eva, who had been concentrating on a puzzle, looked up.

She dropped the puzzle pieces and went over to Cait, putting her arms around her legs as soon as she spotted her. "Aunt Cait! You've returned!"

Cait bent down to give her a firm embrace and a cheek kiss. "Mm-hmm."

Her throat ached with that one syllable. Tears burned in her eyes.

After putting her arms around Cait’s neck and giving her a kiss in return, Eva called out to the kitchen. "Dad! Mom! Aunt Cait’s here!"

Joan and Philip emerged. Philip’s expression briefly brightened before becoming icy.

Grinning at Cait, Joan nudged Philip. "Good to have you home. Dinner's almost ready."

Eva pulled on Joan’s hand. "Aunt Cait adores Apple Pie, mom! Can we go now since you said we would wait for her?”

Playfully, Joan tapped Eva’s nose. "You tiny food enthusiast. We can, of course.”

Eva clapped her hands and danced happily.

However, Philip didn't even glance at Cait. His voice was sharp as he scowled at Eva. "Stop being so eager to please someone who doesn't care about us."

Cait felt her chest constrict. Philip had every reason to be this angry.

She had always received love and care from her parents, brother, and sister-in-law. Nevertheless, she had given the Creed family all of her love and energy, making silent sacrifices, abandoning her family who truly loved her.

However, the Creed never gave a damn about any of that. Only her own family suffered as a result of her sacrifices.

To be honest, she didn't think she had the right to return tonight. However, the Hoth were still her family. Who would she go to if not them.

Although her father and brother seemed to be tough, she knew they were concerned. Every night, her mother, who was usually kind and considerate, sobbed for her. Every time, Joan, who is usually kind and sympathetic, supported her.

And Eva—sweet, shy girl—never ceased to long for her. These were the individuals that were worth clinging to.

The chilly, meaningless existence she attempted to create with the Creed family? She ought to have given it up long ago.

Well, it’s not too late now!