Chapter 4

I looked at Koah, but his expression clearly showed he was afraid I would cause a scene. Tugging on my clothes, he said, “Honey, listen to me. Let’s go home first and talk it out.”

As he spoke, he pulled at my sleeve in a pleading manner.

I glanced at Koah. In the end, for my son’s sake, I shut up and said nothing.

Just as we were about to leave, the shop clerk called out to us suddenly.

“Which one of you is buying this last plush toy?”

My husband immediately paid, then glanced at my son and then at Timothy. Without further hesitation, he handed the plush toy to Timothy.

Seeing my son’s face crumple, his eyes filling with tears, a surge of fury rose up in my chest.

I shouted at Koah, “Koah, do you even know who your child is? Have you completely lost your mind?”

However, Koah only lowered his voice and said to me, “Honey, they’re a single-parent family. Raising a child alone isn’t easy. You and our son should be more understanding.”

I pointed at Wanda and her son, my voice trembling as I spoke. “What exactly is so hard for them with you supporting them, running around and taking care of everything for them?”

“How can you say that?”

Wanda clutched her son, looking as though she had suffered a tremendous injustice, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Xena Summers!”

Koah shouted my name, then grabbed me and dragged me outside.

“Honey, Wanda and her son suffered severe emotional trauma in that unfortunate marriage. Be kinder and stop making things difficult for them.”

I was making things difficult for them?

It turned out that one would laugh if one were utterly speechless.

I looked at the man I had been married to for nearly ten years and, for the first time, I felt he was like a stranger to me.

“Koah, I’ll ask you one last time. Do you only feel nothing but sympathy toward Wanda and her son?”

Without the slightest hesitation, Koah raised his hand and swore to me. “Honey, I swear to you that I feel nothing else!”

“Then, is there anything else you’re hiding from me?”

“No!”

Koah answered without hesitation.

After speaking, he lowered his head, gently pulled me into his arms, and kissed me gently on the top of my head.

“Honey, I don’t have anything else to hide from you. I promise I’ll never lie to you again!

“You don’t like Wanda, so I’ll reduce contact with her and her son from now on. From now on, the three of us will live a good life together as a family.”

Listening to his solemn yet evasive promises, my heart was filled with disappointment.

Just then, my phone suddenly vibrated.

I opened it. It was a message from the teacher I had previously contacted to arrange the school visit.

“Mrs. Quinn, didn’t you say that Charlie Quinn was going to enroll in North Bay Elementary School? Why does the name on my enrollment list say Timothy Blake?”

“Did Charlie’s father accidentally fill out the wrong name because he came in a hurry today?”

In that instant, it felt as if I had been struck by lightning. I stood frozen in place.

After a long while, I finally reacted. Trembling, I searched for the contact number of the family selling the apartment.

When I learned that the apartment had already been purchased by Koah and the ownership had been registered under Wanda’s name, I felt the world spin around me, nearly collapsing to the ground.

“Honey, are you okay?”

Looking at Koah’s feigned concern, all I felt was a wave of nausea.

Pointing at him, I questioned, “You gave our son’s school enrollment spot to Timothy, didn’t you?”

Koah touched his nose guiltily and said in a low, apologetic voice, “Timothy has reached school age this year, too. We’ll let him take the spot first.”

“Our son is still young. Staying home for another year won’t hurt. I promise I’ll get our son in next year.”

“Get lost!”

I screamed at him, completely breaking down.

“I don’t need you. I’ll take back my son’s right to go to school!”

With that, I turned around and dialed the number for the police.

“Officer, I want to report a crime! My husband transferred my premarital assets without my consent to his mistress!”

“I suspect they are plotting something!”