Chapter 1

I hung up and had just turned the corner by the school gate when I spotted a familiar figure—Michael Carter, my husband, the father of my child.

He stood among the cluster of parents, a strawberry cake in his hand, craning his neck to look toward the entrance. I stopped in my tracks.

We had been married for a decade. Three years since our daughter, Alani Carter, started elementary school, and not once had he come.

Last month, when Alani came down with a fever and needed to be picked up early, I called Michael and told him to go. He said he was stuck in a meeting.

Six months ago, when I had sudden gastritis and needed surgery, I asked him to pick up Alani. He sent the nanny instead.

Now, suddenly, here he was. He actually found the time to come to school? What would I see next? Pigs in the sky?

Alani had just walked out when she ran to my side. She turned her head, her eyes lighting up with surprise. "Mom, look, it's Dad!"

She pulled free from my hand and ran toward Michael. He caught her in his arms, smiling like the perfect, doting father. "Hey, sweetheart! I'm here to pick you up! And look. I even brought your favorite strawberry cake."

Alani wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.

I walked over. When Michael saw me, his smile stiffened for a moment. "Oh, hey… I happened to be passing by in the area today. Thought I'd pick you two up."

"Passing by, huh?"

I glanced at the cake in his hand, then swept my eyes across the crowd of parents. Sure enough, I spotted Demi Miller's mother holding a cake in an identical box.

I said nothing. I watched as he set Alani down, then I took her hand. "Let's go. We're heading home."

To my surprise, for the next three days, Michael would show up at the school gate right on time. Every day, he brought something different—candy, pudding…

One day, he even brought a stuffed toy. Alani loved it so much she hugged it tight and refused to let go.

That night, just before bed, she suddenly asked me, "Mom, will Dad pick me up from school every day from now on?"

I paused. "Did he tell you that?"

"Mm-hm! He said he'll come every day! And also take me to the amusement park!"

I stroked her head. "That sounds nice. Now, get some sleep, Alani."

When I returned to my bedroom, I lay there tossing and turning, unable to drift off.

Michael's phone was still lit up. I turned slightly and glanced at him. The moment he noticed, he flipped the phone face down on the nightstand.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"Just scrolling TikTok," he said, his expression steady, nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the constant stream of message notifications from his phone didn't stop for a second. I laughed coldly to myself.