Chapter 3

Rowan took my hand and solemnly placed it over his heart. "Just give me a little more time. I promise I'll sort things out with Meg and her son. I won't let you or Ry feel neglected ever again!"

I stared at him blankly. I could hardly remember the last time he had looked at me so earnestly.

Perhaps it was during our wedding ceremony in that pristine white chapel, where our hands were laced together as he vowed to love and cherish me for the rest of his life.

Or mayhaps it was the day Ryan came into the world, in the hospital delivery room, when he carefully cradled Ryan in his arms, his lips trembling as he pressed a kiss to my forehead and whispered, "Gigi, from now on, I'll never let anyone or anything hurt you and Ryan again!"

Looking back on those memories, I fell silent for a long while. In the end, I decided to tell him about the divorce. "Rowan, to be honest—"

"By the way, where did you put that limited-edition Lego set you bought for Ry last time? Is it in the study cabinet? Meg said Nel has been into Lego lately, so I'm going to let him play with it for a few days."

With that, he went into the study, dug out that box of Lego, grabbed his car keys, and rushed out the door.

With a loud thud, the front door slammed shut, and Rowan's figure disappeared.

I stared at the door for a long time before whispering the words I hadn't finished earlier, "To be honest… Ry and I don't want you anymore."

There were only two days left until we left for good.

…

At midnight, having finally finished packing everything, I collapsed onto the bed in sheer exhaustion.

Just then, my phone lit up. It was a message from Rowan. "Nel loves the Lego. I spent the whole night building it with him. Meg specifically asked me to thank you."

At midnight, my husband was thanking me on behalf of another woman. I tugged at the corner of my lips, and I jeered out of sheer disbelief.

However, I couldn't be bothered to be upset. After all, the outcome would be the same either way.

I opened the chat box and casually replied, "Don't mention it. I wasn't the one who gave it to her. By the way, that Lego set was Ryan's absolute favorite birthday gift. He's been waiting all this time for you to find the time to build it with him."

After sending that single message, I powered off my phone, closed my eyes, and went to sleep, unconcerned about how Rowan's expression might change upon reading the text on the other end of the line.

…

At 8:00 am the following day, Rowan came home unusually early. After stepping inside and taking off his coat, he froze in his tracks at the sight of several suitcases arranged neatly in the living room.

Without even putting his coat down, he walked into the bedroom and asked me, looking slightly panicked, "Do you really need to pack this much luggage for a trip?"

I was helping Ryan get dressed, so I responded without sparing him a glance, "The place we're going to is far away."

After hearing that, he immediately looked at Ryan. Rowan relaxed after Ryan nodded.

Then, he set his coat aside and pulled out three tickets to Starlight Studios. "Weren't you always mad at me for not taking Ry to Starlight Studios? I bought tickets for today. The three of us can go together as a family!"

He laid them out in front of Ryan and me, as if he were showing them off. In fact, his face was filled with affection.

For a moment, I wondered if I had misheard him. It had been nearly a month since that incident, and he was only remembering it now?

However, I recalled the string of unread messages on my phone when I woke up this morning, and it suddenly clicked. So, this was his idea of compensation.

I didn't say a word as I continued to focus on helping Ryan get dressed. Ryan, on the other hand, was incredibly excited. With wide eyes, he gazed at me. "Mommy, I want to go!"

My eyes crinkled slightly, but before I could say a word, Rowan began to hem and haw. "There is just one catch, though… Meg knows we're going to take a family portrait today, and she's worried that if Nel hears about it, he'll be upset. So… maybe we can put off the family portrait until next time?"

Guilt was written all over his face as the words left his mouth.