Chapter 3

That night, Renee came to find me. "What was that tantrum about? You scared Piper."

A warm embrace enveloped me as her hands roamed freely. The familiar scent of her made me melt for a second, making me want to lean in the way I always had.

But reality hit just as fast. The thought of how those same hands might have been on someone else recently sent a wave of nausea through me.

I pulled away hard, my voice flat as I said, "You're drunk. We're divorced."

Renee looked at me like she found the whole thing amusing. "Are you still throwing a fit? I told you, I never actually wanted a divorce. That was just to get you to understand where you stand."

I stared at her, expressionless, trying to figure out where exactly I stood. A husband in name only? A housekeeper nobody needed?

I grabbed my things and went to sleep in the guest room.

Around noon the next day, I'd just finished a job interview when Piper's teacher called, asking me to come in for a parent conference. I didn't want to go, but Renee's phone went straight to voicemail.

I thought about how I had always been the one dealing with the school, and how Piper would feel singled out if no one showed up. So I caved and went.

When I got there, someone was already sitting in the parents' chair. It was my first time meeting Thomas in person.

I froze. He looked like a younger version of me. I had assumed that the appeal was our similar backgrounds, but I hadn't expected the physical resemblance too.

Piper was beaming, practically glowing with pride. The reward points I'd painstakingly earned by helping her with homework every night, she'd cashed in every last one and given them all to Thomas.

I remembered how, during the class gift exchange, whenever the teacher told her to pick a prize for me, she'd always stall.

"But I want to save up a little more so I can get something really big."

I'd been envious, sure, but I just smiled and told the teacher, "It's fine. As long as she's happy."

The defeat was crushing. All I wanted was to get out of there.

But as I walked down the hallway, I heard a commotion behind me. Piper had gotten into a fight with another kid.

Something stopped me in my tracks. Maybe it was fatherly instinct, or maybe it was something else entirely; I didn't know. I turned back and finally made out what they were yelling about.

The other kid was tugging on the teacher's sleeve, trying to explain. "Her dad before wasn't this guy. You can't have two dads. My mom says that's wrong."

Piper shot back without a shred of hesitation. "A stepdad is still a dad. I like my stepdad, so mind your own business."

They went at each other after that. It was the first time Piper had ever hit anyone.

Every single word was a knife dragged straight through me. Her loyalty to Thomas had gone that far. And I was the fool still worrying that she'd feel left out.

Then one of the kids shouted, "Someone's here."

Everyone turned and saw me. Even Piper looked caught off guard, her expression falling. "Dad... I didn't mean—"

Thomas stepped in front of her, shielding her, and moved toward me like he wanted to explain. I didn't acknowledge him. I looked past them both to the other child's parents rushing over, and dropped my head.

"I'm sorry that my family situation caused your child to get hurt. I'll cover all the medical expenses and any other costs."

They took pity on me and refused the money. The father of the other kid just gave my shoulder a squeeze and said, "Hang in there, man."

I managed a smile, apologized one more time, and walked away. I could feel their eyes on my back the entire way out, but I never once turned around.