Chapter 1

Faye's POV

Messages kept pouring into the family group chat, all praising Cassian Howell.

"Cassian really takes good care of his sister-in-law and nephew."

"Exactly! Josh sure didn't spoil him for nothing."

Soon, Esther Heaton posted another video. In it, her son, Noah Howell, thanked Cassian. "Dad is the best! I won first place in the essay contest because of you."

Noah proudly held up his award certificate.

Esther followed up with a voice message and even tagged me. "Faye, Cassian only got Noah a little gift because he won first place. Please don't get the wrong idea."

A little gift?

I stared at the children's camera sitting behind Noah. I'd seen it in Cassian's online shopping cart a week earlier.

Six months ago, he'd promised Anne that exact camera for her birthday and never bought it. I'd thought he was finally planning a surprise for our daughter, but instead, the camera ended up in Noah's hands.

My eyes stung. I blinked hard, then slowly typed a message. "So the bag was a gift for Noah, too?"

After sending it, I didn't bother reading the replies and closed the chat.

Less than a minute later, Cassian called me. His anger came through the phone. "Faye, what the hell did you mean by that message? Are you losing your mind again? How many times do I have to tell you—"

I was tired of the same lecture, so I cut him off. "Did I say anything wrong?"

His voice softened a little, but he still called me unreasonable. "Noah lost his father. I gave him that camera so he wouldn't feel left out. Do you really have to make a big deal over every dollar?"

I dug my fingernails into my palm. "So Noah can't be left out, but Anne can? You won't give me a cent for new underwear, yet you bought Esther a designer bag worth thousands of dollars."

I paused slightly before asking, "Cassian, does she have emotional wounds you need to heal, too?"

He was silent for a moment, then spoke more gently.

"Faye, Noah's getting older. I have to treat Esther well if I want him to accept me as his father. Besides, I'm the one who earns the money for this family. Isn't it only right that I decide how it's spent?"

I gripped the phone and said nothing, but my silence only made him more self-righteous.

"Alright, just tell Anne to skip that pointless activity. She should focus on studying instead of wasting time, so she doesn't end up handing in another blank essay!"

I'd put him on speaker as I paced, and I was still reeling when I turned and found Anne standing behind me.

"Mom, don't be sad," she said quietly. "I won't take the graduation photos. Dad's right. It's my fault for not being able to write that essay."

Looking at Anne's pale face, my heart ached so badly I could barely breathe.

She had always been a good student. The only time she'd ever handed in a blank paper was this year's essay contest, when the topic was "A Day With My Dad".

I'd never forget the confused look on her face when she came home that day. "Mom, I couldn't write anything. I've never spent a whole day with Dad."

I hurried over, crouched down, and pulled her into a tight hug. "Anne, none of this is your fault. Don't worry. We're still taking your graduation photos."

Cassian didn't come home that night. It was Sunday, his regular day with Noah.

Before bed, I asked Anne, "If we moved in with Grandma and it was just the two of us from now on, would you be okay with that?"

I'd asked her the same question twice over the past year. The first time, she'd whispered, "But I'd miss Dad." The second time, she'd thought about it for a long while before shaking her head.

This time, she didn't hesitate. She asked me only one thing. "Does the school near Grandma's house have carrot cake?"