Chapter 4

He had dressed up specially for today, wearing a tailored grey suit with a luxury watch gleaming on his wrist, looking like a corporate elite.

I almost could not recognize him as the man who shared the cheap rented room with me five years ago.

“Let me hold him. You’re pregnant, be careful.”

He spoke softly to Chloe, gazing at her with tender affection as he took the child from her arms.

The crowd of guests broke into lighthearted chuckles, teasing him one after another.

“What a doting freak—he won’t let her carry the kid for a second.”

“Tell me about it! Chloe’s expecting their second one now? Talk about a life everyone envies.”

“What a top-notch son-in-law you got there!”

Someone raised a toast toward Chloe’s father.

Mr. Lynch burst into a hearty laugh, proudly patting his daughter’s hand.

“You bet! Gavin might be an orphan, but he’s got solid character, and he’s never stingy with Chloe. He even bought a brand-new house.

“A man like that, one in a million.

“Wouldn’t you say so, sweetie?”

Chloe’s cheeks flushed red as she slipped her arm around Gavin’s.

He smiled without pulling away.

The happy family of four painted a picture of pure bliss.

I stood shrouded in the shadows of the corner, my knuckles turning white as my hands gripped the edges of the serving tray, my mind wandering in a frenzy.

If I hadn’t ended my pregnancy back then, my kid would be as big as theirs.

Suddenly, someone called out to him, “Gavin, is this one a boy or a girl? Thought of a name yet?”

“A girl,” Gavin said, his gaze dropping to the faint swell of Chloe’s belly, pausing ever so briefly.

“Her name is Clara.”

“Clara?”

“Yeah. I want a bright future for her.”

The smile on Chloe’s face froze for a fraction of a second.

But she recovered her composure almost instantly.

“Gavin, it’s about time. Let’s head up to the stage,” she urged him gently.

Gavin nodded as the housewarming party formally commenced.

Chloe took the microphone, pouring her heart out as she spoke about everything Gavin had sacrificed for their family.

She spoke of how her husband was a man of few words, yet was always the first to notice her subtle shifts in mood, always putting her first.

I thought of my years toiling in Silveridge, lying sick with a fever, being harassed by locals, and calling Gavin in utter distress.

His reply to me:

“Clara, I’m extremely busy over here too. Can’t you try to be a bit stronger on your own?”

As it turned out to be, back here, Gavin had all the patience in the world.

She continued, “He’s also a man of loving gestures. Every single anniversary, without me ever having to remind him, he prepares gifts for me and our son.

“Last Children’s Day, our boy wanted a limited-edition toy that wasn’t available anywhere in the city.

“I thought what a shame, but then Gavin suddenly brought the toy home, saying he’d asked a friend to get it.”

I froze, a bitter smile breaking across my lips.

The person he had asked was me.

Gavin had told me a coworker did him a huge favor, and to return it, he begged me to wait in line to get and send the toy back home.

Winter in Silveridge was wet and dreary with its biting, bone-chilling wind.

I started lining up at three in the morning, barely snatching the very last item available.

Never in my wild dreams could I have imagined that the toy was a gift for his own child.

Finally, Chloe said, “Gavin is a proud man. After we got married, to make sure no one would look down on him, he insisted on buying us a house with his own hard work.

“He said he wanted a sense of security for me and our child, a place to call home.

“And this year, we finally have our own home.”

Her eyes welled with tears as she spoke.

Gavin pulled her into an affectionate embrace.

Thunderous applause erupted beneath the stage.

Meanwhile I, unable to watch a second longer, slowly stepped out amidst the tide of clapping hands.

Revealing myself, I offered him a faint smile.

“Gavin, it’s been a while.”