Chapter 3

Just then, a soft knock came from the front door.

"Madison? You left your phone in the car. I brought it up."

Ryan's voice.

Madison reacted as if she'd just been handed a lifeline.

She hurried over and opened the door.

Ryan stood outside holding Marshmallow.

Beside him was a sleepy little girl.

My daughter.

Bella.

"Mr. Foster..." Bella rubbed her eyes and grabbed Ryan's shirt, her voice clingy.

Ryan looked at me with an apologetic smile.

Though there was something smug underneath it.

"Sorry, Lugh. Bella wanted to wait for her mom and ended up falling asleep in the car. I didn't want her catching a cold, so I carried her up."

As he spoke, he pulled Bella against his side with practiced ease.

Like he belonged here.

Madison jumped in right away.

"See? Ryan's better with kids than you are. Bella loves spending time with him."

My eyes settled on Bella.

When she saw me, she didn't run over for a hug like she used to.

Instead, she pressed closer to Ryan.

Her eyes looked so much like Madison's, and they were full of hostility.

I thought I'd gotten used to it.

I hadn't.

It still hurt.

When had Bella started pulling away from me?

Probably around the time Ryan started showing up at our apartment more and more, always with some work-related excuse.

He never said no to snacks.

Never told her it was bath time.

Never told her to go to bed.

With Ryan, life was all treats and fun.

And me?

I was the bad guy.

The one who allowed one piece of chocolate, told her too much TV was bad for her eyes, and had her in bed by nine.

"Daddy" slowly turned into a flat "Hey."

The healthy breakfasts I made got shoved away with a frown.

"I don't want that! I want the cream cakes Mr. Foster buys me!"

When I asked her to clean up her toys, she'd snap back without blinking.

"Why should I? Mr. Foster said girls are supposed to be spoiled!"

The worst moment came when I had a fever and spent the whole day in bed.

Bella came home from school, saw me barely able to move, and didn't care at all.

She marched to my bedside and demanded, "Why aren't you making dinner yet? I'm hungry! Mommy said a man who can't even take care of the apartment is a useless loser!"

I stared at the cruelty on her face and went cold all over.

I'd spent five hard years raising her.

Another man won her over in months with treats and toys.

Now she was just another weapon he could use against me.

And Madison didn't just allow it.

She encouraged it.

"Look at you. You can't even handle one kid. Bella's happy the second Ryan shows up. You should learn from him."

"Bella's still young. Stop dumping so many rules on her. Girls deserve to be spoiled."

"So she said a few things. Do you really need to sulk over it? You're a stay-at-home dad. You can't even handle that?"

Those words were dull blades, carving into my heart day after day.

Only today did I finally see the truth.

This apartment had stopped being my home a long time ago.

Seeing the look on my face, Madison seemed to think she'd finally found a way to control me.

She stepped forward and pointed at Bella, who was still tucked against Ryan.

Her voice turned sharp. "Lugh, I'll say this one last time. If you divorce me, you're not getting custody of Bella. The court gives custody to the parent with better financial resources.

"You haven't worked in ten years. What exactly do you think you can compete with? And when you're old, don't expect Bella to take care of you."

I looked at Bella, clutching Ryan's shirt like she was afraid he'd disappear.

Then I looked at the smug smile pulling at Ryan's lips.

In that moment, the resentment and heartbreak I'd carried for ten years suddenly faded.

I smiled. "Madison, I don't even want a cheating piece of trash like you anymore.

"So why would I want the ungrateful brat you've already ruined?"