Chapter 1

Six years after getting married, James Hudson picked up his daughter and lifted her high for the very first time.

Five-year-old Celeste burst into laughter and waved at Naomi Sloane. "Mom, Mr. James made me fly!"

Naomi smiled bitterly as she watched the two of them.

James had been drinking that night and didn't seem to know what he was doing.

He didn't love Celeste, and he didn't love Naomi either. His joy that night came from something entirely different and unrelated to them.

The woman he truly loved, Sophia Hadley, had finally returned.

Six years ago, James and Sophia had been deeply in love. However, Sophia had abruptly left. While chasing after her, James got into an accident and lost the ability to walk.

Naomi had been his personal assistant at the time. She stayed by his side day and night. She endured his mood swings, encouraged him, and helped him through rehab.

The day he stood up again, joy clouded his mind. In his drunken haze, he mistook her for Sophia and made love to her through the night.

Soon enough, Naomi got pregnant, and James agreed to marry her.

However, she later learned that James didn't love her. Worse still, he didn't marry her out of a sense of responsibility either. He married Naomi because he learned that Sophia had started a new relationship from her social media.

After their marriage, he was almost always absent from Naomi's and Celeste's lives.

On the day Celeste was born, he deliberately flew out of town on a business trip. And when she started to speak, he gave her a cold look and wouldn't let her call him "Dad".

One time, Celeste lost control of her skateboard and cried out "Dad" in fear. In response, James just stood by icily. He watched indifferently as she fell and knocked her head hard on the ground until she bled.

But now, the drunken James looked at Celeste with tender, fatherly love in his eyes.

After hugging her, he set her on the couch and beamed at her. He said, "I'll be a good father."

"I believe in you, Dad!" Celeste excitedly said.

James didn't seem to hear her. Still smiling, he turned around and muttered a name—Liam.

So what he meant was that he was going to be a good father to Liam.

Naomi's heart sank because Liam was Sophia's son.

But Celeste only heard the first part. She ran over to Naomi happily and said, "Mom, Dad likes me, right? I can call him Dad now, yes? He hugged me and said he'd be a good father!"

Her eyes were filled with longing. She longed for a clear, affirmative answer. Celeste yearned to be like the other kids. She wanted to be able to throw herself into James' arms, call him "Dad", and act spoiled with him.

Naomi's heart ached. She knelt and held Celeste tightly, tears welling up in her eyes. She didn't want to crush Celeste's hopes, so she avoided answering her.

She didn't want Celeste to know that this fleeting happiness had only come to her thanks to another woman and her child.

"Would you be willing to leave this place with me, Celeste?" Naomi asked, holding back her tears.

"Why are we leaving, Mom?" Celeste's smile faltered as confusion took over her features. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears immediately. She muttered sadly, "You, me, and Dad are a family. I want to stay with him."

Naomi reached out to wipe her tears and replied in a choked voice, "It's because the woman Mr. James truly loves has come back. It's time for us to go."

"But… Dad loves me…" Celeste's voice trailed off. Perhaps deep down, she already knew that James didn't love her.

"Mom, can we wait until after my birthday? Let's give Dad a few more chances. Maybe he'll start to love us. If he's willing to stay with us, then we don't have to go, okay?" Celeste pleaded.

Naomi nodded through her tears. "Okay. You decide how many chances to give him."

They would give him a few more chances. If he still let them down, then they would leave and no longer be a part of his world.

"Thank you, Mom."

"It's time to sleep now."

After putting Celeste to bed, Naomi returned to her room. Her marriage to James was in name only. They no longer even bothered to maintain appearances.

The next morning, James woke up and came downstairs.

Celeste was eating her breakfast. But the moment she saw him, she put down her food and ran toward him excitedly.

"You're awake, Dad!"

James' face immediately darkened. He coldly asked, "What did you just call me?"

Celeste's outstretched arms froze in midair. She was frightened by his stern tone and expression.

"Mr. James…" She corrected herself and lowered her arms, feeling a sense of hurt. "I'm sorry, Mr. James."

Naomi held back her sorrow and walked over to pick Celeste up. "Eat up. You'll be late for school."

She knew full well that James' attitude toward them wasn't going to change. Last night had just been a drunken mistake because he was overjoyed that Sophia had returned.

James' demeanor softened a little after that. He went to the dining room, took a sip of his coffee, and left without saying a single word.

"Bye, Mr. James," Celeste called after him like always.

As usual, he didn't bother to respond.

On the way to school, Celeste kept her head down in silence. As they approached the entrance, she finally looked up at Naomi.

"Mom, that counts as one chance, right? Let's give Mr. James three more chances," Celeste said, her eyes teary.

Naomi felt a pang in her heart as she replied, "Okay. We'll do whatever you say."