Chapter 2

I patted Leonardo's shoulder as he curled deeper into my arms. "Daddy, when are we going to Grandma's house? I don't want to stay here anymore."

"Soon. Once I withdraw you from kindergarten, we'll go back. I'm going to ask you one more time. Are you really okay with Dad and Mom getting divorced?" I asked.

"Yeah. Mommy doesn't like me, so I don't want to like her anymore." My eyes turned red, and I comforted Leonardo to sleep.

Just as I was drifting off, my phone buzzed. I checked it and saw an unfamiliar number. But the photos, videos, and provocative messages all told me it was Lucas.

In the video call, Emily was telling Adam a story. She was patient and gentle, with Lucas's voice joining in every now and then. They looked just like a genuine family of three.

But… Emily had never done any of that for Leonardo.

From the day Leonardo was born until now, she had never played games with him or told him any bedtime stories. For Leonardo, all she had were demands and coldness.

I used to think that was just the way she was.

But half a year ago, Lucas came back, and only then did I learn that Emily had long ago fallen in love with someone else. Only then did I learn she was not naturally cold. She had a patient, gentle side too, and there were times when her emotions could go wild.

She simply did not love me, and she did not love our son either.

The next day, Leonardo and I avoided mentioning Emily.

After breakfast, I took out the matching outfits I had prepared long ago as there was a parent-child event at the kindergarten today.

In the past, Emily had always used work as an excuse and had never gone with him even once. This time, Leonardo did not seem to care much if she was not there.

I patted his head and said softly, "I'll take care of your paperwork with the kindergarten principal later today. Then we'll go home."

Leonardo nodded, visibly cheering up. "Can I have a dog at Grandma's house?"

"A small one is fine," I said.

Emily did not like dogs, but Leonardo did.

I nodded. "Of course. You can have anything you want."

Leonardo's day instantly brightened.

There were a lot of people at kindergarten today. A classmate saw Leonardo and asked, "Leonardo, your mom isn't here again? Don't you have a mom?"

My expression changed, but then I heard Leonardo say calmly, "Yeah. My mom's already dead. I only have a dad."

"Leonardo!" A cold voice rang out behind us.

I turned around and saw Emily standing there with a cold expression on her face, looking at Leonardo with anger. In her arms, she was holding a little boy. Lucas stood beside her.

This was the first time Lucas and I had met in person. He looked like a victor with his chin slightly raised, his eyes smug.

He said gently to Emily, "Em, Leo is still young. He doesn't understand anything. If no one taught him, he would never say something like that. Don't blame him."

Anyone could hear what Lucas meant. He was clearly saying Leonardo had only said that because I had taught him to.

Over the past few years, I was never careless with Leonardo's upbringing and education. Usually, he was polite and well-behaved. This was also the first time I had heard him say something like that.

It was obvious how much he hated Emily now.

Yet Emily believed Lucas, her eyes cold and full of displeasure. "Jake, if you can't raise our son properly, send him to my parents. Someone there will teach him properly. Adam is the same age as him, but he would never talk to an adult that way. So? Where are your manners, Leonardo?"

When Leonardo was two months old, Emily had decided on her own to send him back to her parents at their family home to raise. She said she liked how it felt to have to fight for her career. She said children were too noisy and would keep her from focusing on work to the point she would not even breastfeed him.

I argued with her, quit my job to become a stay-at-home dad, and promised her repeatedly that I would take care of Leonardo before I finally brought him back.

During that period, Emily was very upset and often went on business trips. I took care of Leonardo alone and had no time or energy to pay attention to where she was. Only later did I learn that the city she kept traveling to was the same city where Lucas lived.

Emily had used work as an excuse, but in truth, she had only gone there to see him. She did not care about her own husband and son, but she certainly cared about another man's son.

I laughed silently, then said coldly, "He's my son, so of course I'll raise and educate him. I'll be honest too, Emily. I don't think Leo said anything wrong. Have you ever truly been part of his life despite being his mother?"

Emily's expression changed slightly, and Lucas hurriedly pulled her away.

Adam, still in her arms, made a nasty face at us.