Chapter 1

Charlie's POV

Three years ago, I hid the pills away. Now, I dug them out and swallowed them at once. They burned fiercely in my stomach, but my fingers kept scrolling through the comments anyway.

"Poor Astrid. She's going back to that psycho again. If we'd known this would happen, we should've just let him die back then," wrote the student I sponsored.

The day I was diagnosed with depression, she cried and begged me to live a long life.

"It's such a shame you two met too late. If you and Ethan had met sooner, you would've been the ones who got married instead," wrote my coworker.

She had caught the bouquet at our wedding and smiled as she praised how perfect a match Astrid and I were.

"It's fine. You two work at the same company anyway. Worst case, we can all cover for you," wrote my college roommate.

The night Astrid confessed her feelings for me, he warned her that if she ever betrayed me, he would never forgive her.

My eyes stung until everything blurred. So, everyone knew. Somehow, they had all agreed to keep it from me. I was the one who stood in the way of their happiness. I was the one who deserved to die.

Never mind. Soon, they would all get what they wanted.

A beep came from the keypad lock outside. Three figures walked in, dragging their suitcases, laughing and chatting.

The moment our eyes met, Astrid Miller's brow furrowed. Her voice turned reproachful. "Charlie, didn't we agree I'd come pick you up? What if something happened to you on the way home?"

I opened my mouth, but tears started falling before I could say a word.

Panicking, Astrid hurried over and gently wiped them away. "I'm sorry, Charlie. I didn't mean to snap at you. Please don't cry."

Behind her, Ethan Wilde walked in holding Naomi Sage's hand, grinning as he teased me. "Charlie, it's been three years, and you're still such a crybaby."

Naomi peeked out from behind him and looked at me curiously. My heart jolted.

Three years ago, she was just a tiny bundle curled up in a stroller. Now, she could carry her own backpack.

I swallowed the tremor in my voice, crouched down, and opened my arms. "Naomi, come here. Let Daddy hold you."

She shrank back and nervously clutched Ethan's shirt. "Daddy, who's this man?"

I froze.

Astrid gently explained, "Charlie, don't overthink it. Ethan's been the one taking care of her all these years, so she just got used to calling him that. Besides, Ethan is her godfather. We never corrected her because of that."

Only then did I notice the three of them were wearing matching family outfits.

Ethan gave me an awkward shrug. "It was a kindergarten assignment. We're supposed to wear matching outfits as a family and take a thousand pictures together.

"Since you weren't here, I had to fill in for you. If it bothers you, I can go change."

He said it so casually and openly. If I hadn't seen those comments with my own eyes, I might've believed him too.

I suppressed the bitterness rising in my chest and didn't call him out. "It's fine. It looks good on you. Keep it on."

Seeing that I didn't lose my temper like I used to, Astrid softened her expression and ruffled my hair.

"You've finally gotten better. Looks like three years of treatment really helped. Now, let me see what's on your wish list."

She picked up my wish list and was ready to open it.