Chapter 2

Joel's POV

The next morning I was woken up by a video call from Sienna.

"Kent made a lunch reservation for us. Bring Abby and meet us there."

The second the phone rang, Abby had already wandered into my room. Her whole face lit up the moment she heard Sienna's voice.

"Daddy, I want to go. Mommy said I can come."

The refusal I'd been about to give died in my throat.

I felt nothing but exhaustion and resignation.

Abby was desperate for her mother's attention, and even the smallest scrap of warmth from Sienna was enough to make her glow.

With my daughter staring up at me like that, I caved.

We arrived at the restaurant around noon. Sure enough, Kent and Jamie were already seated in the private dining room.

The moment Abby saw Jamie sitting next to Sienna, the light in her eyes dimmed. She asked carefully, "Mommy, can I sit next to you?"

"No! Aunt Sisi's staying with me!" Jamie threw both arms around Sienna's and stuck his tongue out at Abby.

Sienna gave a helpless little laugh and pointed to a seat one spot over. "Abby, how about you sit with Daddy instead?"

My jaw tightened. I picked Abby up and sat her down beside me. She didn't cry or make a fuss. She just watched Jamie, quiet and envious.

Kent broke the silence. "Joel, I spoke out of turn last night when I shouldn't have. That's why I'm here today, to make it right. We're family, after all. No sense holding a grudge overnight."

Before coming, I'd told myself that as long as Abby was happy, I could put up with anything.

But the way Sienna looked with Kent and Jamie, like they were their own little family, was suffocating.

"If you really want to apologize, then stop inserting yourself into my marriage. Her sister may be gone, but Sienna still has her own family.

"And Abby didn't break her arm because she was being naughty. She fell down a staircase and was lucky she didn't crack her skull open. If something worse had happened, how exactly would you make that right?"

I laid it all out, plain and clear. Kent's expression shifted. He clearly hadn't expected me to throw his apology back in his face, and the mood at the table turned heavy.

Sienna slammed her glass of water down on the table. "I invited you here for lunch, not to start something."

There it was again. She had no pushback against Kent, no attempt to see my side, and every word out of her mouth was a shield for him.

The rest of the meal was unbearable. I couldn't taste the food at all.

When Jamie finished the shrimp on his plate, he hopped off his chair and ran straight to Abby. Before any of us could react, he grabbed her injured right arm in one hand and used his other hand to rip the locket off her neck.

"I want this!"

He snatched it and spun around to show it off to Kent and Sienna.

Abby screamed. The chain left a raw red welt across her throat, and blood was already seeping through the bandage on her arm.

Sienna shot to her feet. I swung and slapped Jamie hard across the face, all while Kent's shout rang out beside me.

"Daddy, it hurts!" Abby sobbed.

The room was nothing but crying. Kent was still laying into me. "How could you hit a child? Jamie doesn't know any better!"

Blood had soaked almost entirely through the bandage on Abby's arm.

Sienna instinctively grabbed her car keys. "I'll drive you to the hospital."

But Jamie latched onto her leg. "No! Don't go! Aunt Sisi, you promised you'd stay with me today!"

He threw himself on the floor, kicking and wailing. I saw the hesitation flicker across Sienna's face, and my heart sank completely.

I didn't bother with any of them. I grabbed Abby and headed straight for the hospital.

After all, she would've chosen them anyway.