Semua Bab Teaching My Son to Forget His Dad: Bab 1 - Bab 10

As soon as our son, Ryan Goodwin's, words fell, my husband, Rowan Goodwin, and I froze at the same time. In the 28 days following the realization that Rowan was emotionally checked out of our family, whenever he walked out on Ryan and me for Megan, I had Ryan call him Mr. Goodwin as a reminder to both of us not to waste our tears on someone who wasn't worth it. Ryan, however, didn't see things that way. He was only seven years old, an age when a boy was most dependent on his father. Every time I asked him to call Rowan that, he would hesitate for a long time before murmuring, "Mr. Goodwin."Yet, now, he had said it on his own. It was so smooth and natural, as if he had rehearsed those two words countless times in his heart. Noticing that we were both stunned, Ryan took my hand and told Rowan, "Mr. Goodwin, you should go handle your business."Then, he looked up at me. "Let's go, Mommy. We're going to miss our appointment." He pulled me along, walking step by step toward the pho

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 cabi

An hour ago, Megan was weeping her heart out, her fingers clutching Rowan's cuff. "What do we do, Rowan? Nel fell down the stairs. He's bleeding so much. I'm so scared!"Nelson had a piece of cloth pressed against his forehead. He was sobbing so hard he could barely catch his breath. Rowan's face was pale the entire way. He called me while holding the child in his arms. As soon as the call went through, he didn't even wait for me to speak before blurting out, "Gigi, please tell Ry I'm incredibly sorry. Nel fell and got hurt, and I had to rush him to the hospital. I'm not sure if I can make it by 3:00 pm. If you guys don't see me, just go home first. Please tell Ry I'm sorry!"He hung up right after saying that. Similar to all the time in the past, he left the explanations to me and the disappointment to Ryan. He thought we would still wait. He also thought a single apology could rekindle the light in Ryan's eyes.The doctor soon examined Nelson. He had only scraped his knees a

Rowan even stopped in front of the Minion mascot for a long time. That was the place where Ryan, holding a picture book on his sixth birthday, had made a wish. "Daddy, I want to go to Starlight Studios to see the Minions!"How had he answered back then? He had told Ryan, "That's so childish. There are too many people, and it's such a hassle. Let's talk about it when you're older."Yet, he turned around and came here with Megan and Nelson. To make things worse, he had even taken photos with them. In the photos, he held Nelson in his arms and smiled like a real father. Rowan abruptly crouched down by the road and covered his face. It hit him that some wounds wouldn't simply disappear with time. They were all recorded on a ledger, entry by entry, waiting for the day they would be collected back from him, with full interest. In the evening, he saw a mother and son at the entrance of a restaurant. The woman was wearing a white shirt, and the child was carrying a blue backpack. From be

Megan stiffened, and the container of mango in her hand dropped to the floor. The yellow fruit rolled all over the ground. The panic on her face lasted for only a second before she immediately squeezed out tears. "Rowan, I can explain! This is all a misunderstanding—"Rowan rushed over, snatched the remaining mangoes out of her hand, and hurled them on the ground. "A misunderstanding? You knew perfectly well that he's allergic to mangoes, yet you still forced him to eat them? Megan, he's your biological son! Don't you know that severe food allergies can kill someone?"Megan's face went pale from his outburst. Nelson burst into tears on the hospital bed.After hearing the commotion, a nurse rushed in. "You two, stop arguing! The patient's condition is unstable right now!"Rowan stared long and hard at Megan. At that moment, the way he looked at her no longer held any pity, only disgust. Realizing she couldn't fake it anymore, she dried her tears and sneered. "That's right. I did