Chapter 4

"Loulou, come on!" Matthew called out to Louise.

She snapped back to reality, then looked at me with a complicated expression. In the end, she said nothing.

"Coming!"

The villa front door slammed shut. Only then did I finally come back to my senses.

Dazed, I pulled out my phone and called Chelsea. "Save the wait. I'm leaving tonight."

Perhaps she heard how hoarse my voice was. She stayed silent for only a few seconds and readily agreed. "Sure. Pack your things. I'll arrange for someone to pick you up."

After hanging up, I began packing every piece of clothing I could take. Anything I couldn't take went into trash bags to be thrown away the next day.

I also gathered all the toys and books I had bought Max over the years. They went into the trash bags as well.

As I reached the bottom of the closet, my hand brushed against a metal box. Inside were all the keepsakes I had collected over my eight years of marriage to Louise.

There was her first pregnancy checkup report, Max's tiny footprints from when he was a newborn, the first watch Louise bought me, and an old, yellowing photograph.

In it, I was holding our newborn against my chest, leaning against Louise's shoulder with a huge smile.

She was in the hospital bed, her expression as cool and distant as ever, but a faint smile that she didn't even realize sat on her lips.

She had been in labor all night, and I had stayed by her side, holding her hand through everything.

Back then, I truly believed that after weathering the storm, I had found my happy ending—that a fulfilling life and family awaited me. Alas, in hindsight, my naivety had blinded me.

I emptied the metal box. I tore up the pregnancy report, cut the photograph in half, and only kept the part that belonged to me. I tossed the half with Louise and Max into the trash bag.

Just then, my phone buzzed a few times. Elaine had added Matthew to the family group chat.

"From now on, Matthew is family. He's soft-hearted, Harlan, so don't give him a hard time."

Louise followed with a few messages of her own.

"Let's put what happened tonight behind us."

"I bought four tickets to Wyamy. Mom, Max, Matthew, and I are going away for a few days."

"Take care of the house while we're gone, Harlan. I'll bring you a gift when we get back."

Max celebrated in a voice message. "Hooray! Dad won't be coming! You're the best, Mom!"

Matthew sent a laughing emoji. The group chat was filled with laughter and cheerful messages.

I stared at the screen for a long time, then typed, "Max, are you sure you don't want me as your dad anymore?"

The chat went silent for a few seconds.

Elaine sent a voice message. "Harlan, have you lost your mind? How dare you scare your son like that! I was right about you—you really are an embarrassment!"

Louise wrote, "You've gone too far, Harlan. Don't take it out on our son."

Matthew immediately sent a voice message, his tone meek. "Max is still young, Harlan. If you're upset, take it out on me. Don't put him on the spot like that…"

I stared at that voice message, my finger hovering over the screen. For a long time, I couldn't bring myself to respond.

Then Max sent a video. In it, he was clinging to Matthew's arm, glaring and pouting at the camera. "That's right! I don't want you! I want Mr. Parker to be my dad instead!"

His voice was sharp as a knife, slicing through the last bit of attachment I had left for him.

After watching the video, I replied, "Got it," and exited the family group chat.

Then I called Chelsea. "I'm ready to leave now."