Chapter 2

“Riley, I’m back to hang out with you again!”

A mature male voice called out as he casually opened the door and walked in like he owned the place. My son immediately ran toward him.

“Mr. Scott, you’re finally here! I was so bored at home!”

Just as he finished speaking, Xena stepped out from behind Lucas, holding up a small cake that they had just bought.

“Today’s your dad’s birthday, so we bought cake!”

The three of them looked so happy together that one would think they were a real family. There was nothing about this that felt like a birthday celebration for me.

I abruptly rose to my feet, speaking in a sharp and cold voice. “Go ahead and have it. I’m not feeling well. I’m heading to my room.”

Xena’s face froze, and Riley looked between us, unsure what to do.

Lucas smiled, trying to smooth things over. “Hey, come on, you’re the man of the house and the birthday boy. Just tell Xena what you want to have for dinner and she’ll make it for you.”

Even when he mentioned that I was the man of the house, his tone made it clear he thought he was in charge.

Xena chimed in, “Yeah, come on, Calvin. Don’t be so uptight."

My son jumped down from Lucas’ arms and grabbed my hand, swinging it excitedly.

“I want to have dinner with you, Daddy!”

I let out a scoff. I had been back for six months and had not seen Lucas once. Yet here he was, showing up on my birthday to celebrate with me.

Xena and Riley seemed to just accept it like it was normal. Perhaps they just wanted an excuse to openly appear together in my house under the guise of my birthday.

I looked up and caught the glint in Lucas’ eyes. I clenched my fists without thinking.

Xena’s expression immediately changed as she stepped in front of Lucas protectively. “What are you doing? Don’t bring that prison attitude home!”

I stood there stunned, wounded by the scene in front of me. Yes, I had thrown punches in prison, but only out of desperation. Usually, I was the one getting beaten up, terrified that getting involved might delay my release.

Xena knew that those five years in prison were a deep wound for me and that it had not healed. However, she was defending Lucas now and spitting out words like that.

The room fell silent for a moment before Xena realized she had crossed the line. She awkwardly apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t mean that. Please don’t take it the wrong way…”

Before she could finish, I walked straight back to my room. “You’re right. I should lock myself away so that no one else gets hurt.”

I ignored her protests and locked the door behind me.

Xena knocked a few times and was about to speak, but Lucas cut her off. “Xena, I’m starving. Hurry up and make dinner.”

She answered quickly and left without saying a word to me.

I lost track of time until I needed to use the bathroom. That was when I finally stepped out. Just then, I caught Riley leaning in to kiss Lucas on the cheek. He paused for a brief moment before kissing him anyway.

Lucas let out an awkward chuckle upon seeing me. “Don’t mind the kid. He’s just like this because we’ve been hanging out a lot.”

I had been back for over half a year, and sometimes, I wanted Riley to give me a kiss too, but I never got one. He said he was germophobic and did not want to kiss me. Apparently, that only applied to me.

I grunted, finished up, and headed back to my room, only to be stopped by Xena. “Don’t go back in. Come celebrate your birthday with us."

How ridiculous!

My own wife had asked her ex to celebrate my birthday.

Xena frowned and got upset when she did not get an answer from me. “How long are you going to keep this up? Lucas and I are completely innocent. It’s nothing like what you think.”

Innocent? If I did not know the truth, I might have believed her.

Lucas sat nearby, trying to calm things down. “It’s no big deal. Just think of this cake as a little dessert after dinner. If you want, you can even say it’s my birthday too. We had so much fun just now, the three of us eating together.”

He was clearly blaming me for ruining the mood.

I glanced over and saw that Xena had only prepared enough food for three people. Given that, I spoke calmly.

“Yeah, you three just enjoy yourselves. There’s no need to celebrate my birthday.”

Xena’s eyes turned cold and flashed with anger. “What are you being so snarky about? It’s because you said you didn’t want to eat that I didn’t make anything for you. Lucas came all the way here to celebrate your birthday, and you’re just standing there with a sour look on your face. I haven’t even made you apologize to him!”

Riley shouted at me too. “Daddy, you’re so mean!”

I remained silent. I knew if I did not play along with their little act, they would not let me be. Realizing that, I nodded and gave in.

The anger on Xena’s face instantly disappeared. She grabbed my hand and sat me down, telling me to close my eyes.

Riley and Lucas started singing the birthday song loudly. Xena turned off the lights, then came toward me while holding the cake with lit candles.

Following their lead, I slowly opened my eyes. However, when I saw the number on the cake, my heart dropped. I was 28 this year, but the candle read 29. Lucas was the one who was 29 years old this year.

Xena eagerly urged me to make a wish. Under her pressure, I quickly closed my eyes and silently wished, ‘From this day on, I’m going to stay away from them and live a truly happy life.’