Chapter 4

For a moment, the man on the other end of the line fell silent. "A war correspondent? Gary, what brought this on all of a sudden? It's dangerous out there, with bullets flying everywhere and conditions so harsh..."

"It was my dream back in college," Garrick said quietly. "I just... set it aside for the sake of my family. Now I want to go and fulfill it."

"But you have a wife now, two kids, a good family life. Why take that kind of risk? Even if you wanted to go, your family would never agree to it," Thomas Chapman argued.

Garrick's mouth twisted into something thin and bleak, not quite a smile. "Mr. Chapman, I'm getting a divorce. The kids will stay with her. I've already made up my mind."

Stunned by the news, Thomas fell silent.

At last, he let out a sigh. "Well, that's your own business. It's not my place to pry. If you've already decided... all right, then. I'll put in the request. Take the next few days to rest and recover, get yourself ready, and plan to leave by the end of the month."

"Thank you, Mr. Chapman."

Garrick hung up and called his lawyer next.

"Mr. Walters, please draw up the divorce agreement for me. She can have custody of the children. I'm giving that up. Divide the assets according to the law. I only want what I'm entitled to. Please get it done as quickly as possible. If we can finalize the divorce before the end of the month, even better."

Once everything was arranged, he closed his eyes in exhaustion.

In that barren place inside him, a wind finally stirred, free and bitterly cold.

…

For the next several days, neither Josephine nor the twins came to see Garrick. They did not show up again until his birthday.

Perhaps to make up for it, or perhaps just to keep up appearances, Josephine organized a fairly lavish birthday party for him.

Silas showed up uninvited. Dressed in a tailored white suit, his hair styled to perfection, he strolled right up to Garrick and held out a beautifully wrapped gift box.

"Gary, happy birthday. Turns out we have more in common than I thought. We even share the same birthday."

The same birthday?

The twins turned to Silas at once, startled. "Is today your birthday too? Why didn't you tell us sooner?"

Caleb immediately turned to Josephine. "Mom! It's his birthday too! Why don't we make this a joint birthday party for Dad and him? Please?"

Ruby grabbed Josephine's hand and swung it back and forth. "Mom, please? It's so lonely to celebrate your birthday all by yourself!"

Josephine looked at the children's hopeful faces, then glanced at Garrick, who stood silently beside her. A flicker of hesitation crossed her face.

She walked over to him and spoke in a low voice. "Gary, look how much the kids want this... And it's true, he really is alone today. What if... we just let them celebrate together? I know this puts you in an awkward position, but—"

"Fine," Garrick cut her off before she could finish, his voice calm and even.

Josephine froze, every argument she had prepared caught in her throat.

"You... agreed, just like that?" She could hardly believe it. "You don't mind?"

She had expected him to make a scene, to turn on her with reddened eyes as he always did and accuse her of playing favorites. She had even worked out how she would calm him down and reason with him.

Instead, he had simply agreed, as if it were nothing at all.

Garrick's pale lips curved into a smile devoid of warmth. "You already explained it to me. He's just the kids' piano teacher. There's nothing between you two. You only cross paths because of the children. Why would I mind?"

He paused, then raised his eyes to meet hers, his gaze flat and still. "Don't worry, Josephine. From now on, I won't make a scene again."

Josephine could not explain why, but despite his sudden understanding and generosity, her heart sank. A sharp sense of unease and panic swept through her.

He was so calm that it seemed nothing mattered to him anymore, whether it was how they treated Silas or how they treated him.