Chapter 2

Hendrick's voice was ice-cold. "Nina, I'm your father, not your maid."

He rarely spoke to Nina so harshly.

Nina had inherited Lexie's high IQ, so he rarely had to worry about her academic performance.

Because of that, he mostly spent his time holding down the fort at home, taking care of every aspect of Nina's daily life.

From her meals and clothes to her overall health, he managed everything with meticulous care.

Yet despite all that, Nina was still constantly dissatisfied with him.

Having grown accustomed to his selflessness, she felt increasingly entitled to demand things. She took it for granted that Hendrick should bend to her every whim.

In the past, he had endured it all. But now, he was done putting up with it.

Lexie emerged from the kitchen and said to Nina, "Let your dad rest tonight. He can fix it tomorrow."

At that moment, Lexie seemed to put on the act of a good wife again.

She placed a hot water bottle in Hendrick's hands, then reached out to hold his hand. "There's no need to get upset with a child."

Hendrick pulled back slightly, dodging her touch. His voice remained flat. "I'm not upset with her."

He was simply informing Nina that he wouldn't be playing the role of a full-time father anymore.

Lexie's hand froze in midair before she slowly drew it back.

A heavy silence settled over them, leaving her feeling strangely out of place, accompanied by an indescribable sense of disappointment.

Lexie frowned. She had never seen Hendrick like this. In her mind, Hendrick should have thrown a fit, blamed her, resented her, and eventually compromised.

But now, he skipped all those steps and accepted everything with surprising calm.

It was almost as if he couldn't care less anymore.

"Let's eat first." Lexie changed the subject and carried a bowl of fish soup out from the kitchen.

She ladled the very first bowl for Hendrick.

"Drink some soup to warm yourself up. Isn't fish soup your favorite?"

Hendrick looked down at the milky-white broth, the tender fish meat, and the rich soup.

It was the one dish Lexie excelled at making.

Except…

A wave of bitterness washed over Hendrick.

"The one who likes fish soup is Cameron."

Lexie paused for a fraction of a second before acting as if nothing had happened. "You're brothers. You ought to have similar tastes."

Hendrick let out a self-deprecating laugh.

His tastes and Cameron's couldn't be more different. Yet Lexie only ever remembered Cameron's preferences.

Her mind, which normally stored nothing but experimental data, had carved out a dedicated space just to hold every detail about Cameron.

This time, Hendrick lowered his head and said, "I actually hate fish soup. I hate the fishy stench. It's foul and disgusting. Every sip tastes like slop."

Lexie didn't stop what she was doing. She simply stated in a neutral tone, "Eating fish is good for your heart."

Hendrick's grip tightened around his spoon. So that was what she cared about.

He didn't say another word. He forced himself to gulp down the bowl of soup, then turned around and retreated to his room.

Throughout their eight years of marriage, he and Lexie had slept in separate rooms.

Because Lexie claimed to be a light sleeper, he had willingly moved into the guest bedroom and slept there for eight long years.

In reality, she just didn't want to share a bed with him.

At this point, though, Hendrick couldn't care less.

Early the next morning, he woke up with a pounding headache and a hazy mind, completely losing track of time.

A loud banging sounded against his door.

"Dad! Useless Dad! Why haven't you gotten up to make me breakfast yet?"

Hendrick's body felt impossibly heavy. He forced himself upright, only to realize it was already 8:00 am.

Nina's school started at 7:30 am. In the past, he would always be up before 6:00 am to prepare her breakfast and pack everything she needed for school.

The moment he opened the door, Nina kicked him right in the shin.

A seven-year-old girl already had quite a bit of strength. The pain sent Hendrick stumbling back a few paces, and he had to grab the doorframe to keep from collapsing.

"Where's your mother?"

The living room was empty, and no one was in the other room either.

Nina said as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "Mom has to work. She's busy, unlike you, who stays home doing nothing all day and can't even bother to get up and make me food."

Lexie was indeed busy.

As the top cardiothoracic surgeon at the best hospital in Jexford, she became completely consumed by her work, neglecting both her child and her home.

When Nina was a child and got sick, Hendrick had taken her to the hospital all by himself, running up and down the halls until he was dripping with sweat.

In the end, Nina recovered, but he caught a bad fever himself.

When Lexie found out, she merely offered a cold remark. "Next time something like this happens, just hire a nanny."

A nanny. She made it sound so simple.

She had never taken care of Nina, so of course she didn't know how anxious a parent felt when their child fell sick.

A nanny could handle running errands, but when it came to accompanying and caring for their sick child, how could he ever feel at ease leaving it to an outsider?

Lexie understood none of this. She only blamed him for making things harder on himself.

And now, Nina felt the same way.

"Uncle Cameron was right. You're just a lazy, useless bum who doesn't deserve to be a dad at all!"

Harsh words hurt the most when they came from a child.

Hendrick stared at the child he had raised himself.

When Nina was younger, she used to wrap her arms around his neck, sweetly calling him Daddy and promising to stay by his side forever.

How had she turned into this?

Hendrick let out a tragic laugh. "Nina, can't you see that I'm sick?"

Only then did Nina notice how pale he looked.

She frowned, her gaze as cold and indifferent as Lexie's. Her eyes held no concern, only displeasure.

"You're so stupid. How could you choose to get sick right now? Anyone who can't even manage their own health doesn't deserve to be my dad."

With that, Nina slung her backpack over her shoulders and walked out.

Hendrick stood at the doorway. Feeling dizzy and lightheaded, he slowly slid down against the doorframe.

The front door slammed shut with a heavy thud.

Hendrick crouched there, thinking bitterly, "Very soon, I won't be your dad anymore."