Chapter 4

At dawn, I was jolted awake by a call from Walter.

"I don't care what misunderstanding you two had yesterday. You're coming over today to clear things up with Emilia."

I checked the time. It was 6:20 a.m.

I decided to comply. He was my wife's father, and some things needed to be settled face-to-face.

I washed up, grabbed the documents I'd prepared, and drove to the Hayes residence.

My fingerprint was still registered in the smart lock. Over the years, I'd paid for everything in that house—the appliances, furniture, even the renovations.

Yet every time I came over, Walter would always brag about how kind Alex was to them. As for me, he always said the same thing: "Emilia marrying you is the best thing that ever happened to you."

When I opened the door, Walter and his wife, Karen Gunn, were sitting in the living room. Their expressions changed when they saw me, clearly surprised that I'd arrived so early.

Before I could speak, the master bedroom door opened. Alex walked out, yawning. He was wearing the gray pajamas Emilia had once bought for me.

Emilia was right behind him, turning her back to him as she said, "Hurry up. Zip me up."

Alex turned and zipped up the back of her dress, his fingers lingering at her waist for a moment.

She didn't seem to notice. Rubbing her shoulder, she complained, "It's all your fault. You kept tossing and turning in your sleep last night."

Alex chuckled.

Only then did they notice me standing by the door. There was no panic. No guilt at being caught crossing a line. Emilia even frowned.

"The baby kept us up all night," she said. "Alex helped me take care of him and was so exhausted that he fell asleep in the master bedroom. You're the biological father, yet you get to sit back and do nothing."

I stared at them coldly. "You two slept together last night?"

Walter slammed his hand on the table. "Enough! We know what kind of person Alex is better than you do. He grew up in this family. What's wrong with him sharing a room with Emilia?"

I laughed.

Right. In this family, Alex could do no wrong. I was always the one at fault.

When I stayed silent, Emilia took it as an admission of guilt and became even more demanding.

"You're going to apologize to me in front of my parents. Then you'll write a statement promising you'll stop making a fuss over Alex and never kick him out of the house again."

She picked up the name-change agreement from the coffee table and threw it at me. "Since you're here, you might as well sign it now. If you behave, I might consider taking the baby back home with you."

I looked over the agreement.

Thinking I'd finally give in, Emilia continued, "And your mother can't stay with us anymore. Her cooking is awful. It has this nasty aftertaste."

She glanced at Alex. "Alex's cooking is so much better. With him taking care of me and the baby, we don't need your mother getting in the way."

My hand stopped over the signature line.

I thought of my mother biting her lip and pleading with them last night.

She had slept on the floor at my house for over two weeks. She had spent five hours making stew, only for Emilia to take one sip and dump it in the trash. And after all that, all she got was being called a nuisance.

I picked up the pen and signed the name-change agreement.

Emilia stared for a moment before smiling with satisfaction. "See? Was that so hard?"

The baby in her arms suddenly started crying.

Hearing my voice, he struggled to turn toward me, reaching out with his little hands and babbling. It sounded almost like "Dada".

My chest tightened.

But Emilia pulled him closer and wouldn't let me touch him.

I pushed the signed agreement toward her. "It's signed."

She picked it up to check. The corners of her lips were just starting to curl when I pulled another document from my bag.

"I need you to sign this one too."

I tossed it at her. The papers scattered across the floor, landing near her feet.

Emilia looked down at the words at the top, and her smile instantly disappeared.

Divorce Agreement.

She stared at the papers. "Are you crazy? You think threatening me with divorce is going to make me chase after you?"

I looked her straight in the eye. "Don't you always say that if Alex hadn't stepped aside back then, I never would have had a chance to marry you? Fine. I'm giving you back to him.

"From now on, you and Alex can sleep in whatever bed you want and name the baby whatever you want. None of it has anything to do with me anymore."