All Chapters of Summer Vacation: He Chose Another Woman's Kid: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

Bella Manning kept tucking the expired family passes back and forth between pages of her picture book. When Alfred Manning finally came home, she looked hopefully toward the door."You're still awake, Bella," he said with a smile and walked over to her. "I brought you a yummy treat to make up for today."The cake box was semi-transparent. The frosting was smeared against the sides, and several large chunks had been scooped out and eaten.Bella loved strawberries, but the cake was chocolate-flavored."Is this for me, Daddy?" she asked."Daryl didn't want it. I figured it'd be a waste to throw it away, so I brought it home for you."I watched as she quietly lowered her head and murmured, "Thank you, Daddy."Alfred stepped closer and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. "Don't be upset, honey. You know what Edna is going through right now. She's just divorced, and she's emotionally unstable."Besides, Daryl has never traveled abroad before, so I took them on a trip as a way of helpi

On Bella's birthday, I took half a day off work.She had picked out her cake herself, with a white sugar bunny lying on top of the frosting. She had also invited a few of her closest friends over for a party.Starting at 4:00 pm, she ran back and forth to the front door. "Is that Daddy coming home?"Alfred had promised her he would come back early that day to place the birthday crown on her head and stay by her side while she made a wish.By 5:30 pm, her friends had gradually arrived, but she still kept looking toward the door.Moments later, Alfred sent me a voice message. "Something went wrong on Edna's end, honey. Daryl saw another family of three and had a sudden emotional breakdown. Now, he's locked himself in the mall's nursing room and refuses to open the door, no matter what we say."Holding my phone, I looked over at the living room, where Bella was picking up her birthday crown, only to set it back down.He continued, "Go ahead and help Bella cut the cake first. Don't

Daryl shrieked in terror while Alfred was stunned and frozen."Mom?"Edna covered her face as tears welled up in her eyes. "Mrs. Manning—"Paula Banks raised her hand and cut her off, "Don't call me that. We aren't close at all!"Alfred immediately rushed forward and asked, "Why are you here, Mom?"Paula didn't even look at him. Instead, her eyes stayed fixed on Edna."If your son needs a father so badly, track down his biological dad. What is he doing? Trying to take someone else's?"She reached into her bag, pulled out a stack of photos, and hurled them onto the floor."Stop crying! Tears might work on men, but they don't work on me, so save it!"Trembling, Daryl scrambled to hide behind Edna.Paula continued, "When I got divorced years ago, I had it worse than you. My husband cheated, my in-laws stole my money, my company was falling apart, and my son was just six years old. "I didn't go running to someone else's house to play the victim, and I certainly didn't teach my

After I left, Edna started pestering Alfred even more often."I made you some soup, Alfred. You haven't looked well lately, and you can't survive just on coffee."It was slow-simmered bone broth, which I used to make all the time. Alfred froze the moment he lifted the lid and smelled the familiar aroma.Edna acted as though she hadn't noticed his reaction. "Olivia used to make this for you all the time, didn't she? I was worried it wouldn't taste the same, so I asked for the recipe."But she quickly lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought her up."Later, she reminded him to bring an umbrella and stop drinking iced water.At 9:00 pm every evening, Daryl would send him voice notes. "When are you coming home, Daddy Alfred?"But there was no room for the mother and son in the family, and Alfred wasn't Daryl's father, either.When Edna came the next day, she took a seat across from him and stole careful, cautious looks at his face. "Daryl said the wrong thing yesterda

I laid out the visitation schedule clearly. It would be three times a week, with the location chosen by Bella.Alfred booked an expensive restaurant. The children's menu was beautifully crafted, featuring teddy-bear shortbread pastries and a chocolate fountain.But after looking at the photos, Bella shook her head. "I have to wash my white sneakers with Mommy on Wednesday night."Alfred was briefly stunned. "You can wash your shoes tomorrow."She answered even more seriously, "Thursday is sports day at school. I need clean shoes."Then, as if she were worried about hurting his feelings, she added, "You can have sandwiches with me at the bakery downstairs instead, Daddy."As Alfred looked at her, his chest throbbed painfully. He had missed her birthdays, the entire summer she spent collecting gold stars, and now, even a trivial chore like washing sneakers took priority over him.Her life had formed a clear set of priorities, which inadvertently caused him pain.Later that week,