Chapter 4

When he had time. That was always his excuse.

Micah clearly had enough time to take Lucy to the park, but no time to buy the piano he'd already promised his child.

I couldn't hide the disappointment in my heart. My arms dropped to my sides. I had no idea how I was going to explain this to Anna.

Just then, my phone buzzed. I opened it to find a friend request. I had a sinking feeling, and my heart pounded.

I accepted the request and opened the profile. The first post had just been uploaded. It showed a little girl posing with a piano.

The caption read, "Thank you, Mr. Jackman, for the piano."

It was the very same Steinway that Anna and I had seen at the piano store that day.

My mind went blank. So a piano really had been delivered today. We just weren't the ones receiving it.

Perhaps out of guilt, Micah was unusually gentle that evening. He patiently washed Anna's feet and even read her a bedtime story.

Anna was so surprised she didn't know how to react. Everything that happened today was beyond what she'd ever dared to dream.

Before Micah left Anna's room, she carefully tugged at the corner of his shirt. "Daddy, next Monday is my birthday. My teacher is throwing me a party. Will you come? I'll play you a lullaby then."

Seeing Anna's cautious expression, something twisted uncomfortably in Micah's chest. "Alright. I'll definitely be there."

With Micah's promise, Anna drifted off to sleep blissfully happy.

The next day, Anna was the first one at kindergarten. She earnestly invited every single classmate to her birthday party.

"My daddy's coming too!"

Seeing Anna's expectant face, anxiety churned in my stomach. Micah had to come.

Anna used the tip money she'd collected from the elderly people who watched her perform in the park over the years to buy herself a brand new princess dress.

"Mommy, this is my first time performing on stage. I need to dress properly so Daddy won't be embarrassed."

On Anna's birthday, she dressed up carefully. She put on the new princess dress and wore the plastic crown she'd always been too reluctant to wear before.

She stood at the kindergarten entrance with her teacher, greeting the arriving children. She waited and waited. All the other children arrived, but Micah never appeared.

I called him countless times. On the 18th call, Micah finally picked up.

Before I could say anything, his impatient voice came through. "Lucy's daughter has a piano competition today. Stop calling me."

"But you promised Anna you'd come listen to her play the lullaby."

"She's never even had lessons. What the hell is she going to play?"

Seeing Anna's face suddenly turn deathly pale, I pulled her into my arms anxiously. But something in her seemed to shift. She suddenly looked older than her years.

Anna calmly took the phone from my hand. "It's okay. If you're busy, don't come.

"You don't need to buy me a piano anymore. And I won't ask you to listen to me play the lullaby ever again."

With that, Anna hung up with a sharp click. On the other end, Micah felt a jolt run through him. He stood up, ready to leave.

Seeing this, Lucy quickly grabbed his sleeve. "What's wrong, Micah? Melody's about to go on stage."

Micah opened his phone with trembling hands and instinctively dialed my number. But this time, all he heard was the busy signal.

Before blocking Micah's number, I sent him one last message.

"You don't need to come. We don't need you to come anymore."

The next second, the previously empty chat was flooded with messages.