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All Chapters of The Family She Almost Lost: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

16 Chapters

Chapter 1

"Mr. Rogers, I'm working late tonight. You can head home."My wife, Rachel Lloyd, walked out of the conference room and passed right by me without slowing down. She tossed the words over her shoulder and headed straight for her office.I stood up, about to say something, when her phone rang.The moment she answered, her voice changed. It turned soft and almost playful."Jeff? You're here? Okay, I'll come down and get you."Jeff.Jeff Gibson.Rachel's college sweetheart, who had spent the past three years abroad, was finally back.I watched her disappear into the elevator, then let out a bitter laugh. I pulled out my phone and texted our daughter Noelle Rogers’ preschool teacher.Zane: [Ms. Porter, I'll be there on time to pick Noelle up today.]The teacher replied almost immediately.Ms. Porter: [Okay, Mr. Rogers. Noelle drew a picture today. She said she wants to give it to her mommy.]I stared at the word ‘mommy’, and something twisted painfully inside my chest.Noelle h

Chapter 2

Noelle woke up early the next morning.She got dressed by herself, brushed her teeth, washed her face, then hurried to the kitchen and peeked through the doorway."Daddy, is Mommy awake?"I was making breakfast. My hands paused for a moment."Mommy already left.""Oh." Noelle lowered her head, then looked up again. "Can Mommy come to the parent-child activity today?"I crouched down and looked into her eyes."Noelle, how about I go with you today?"Noelle bit her lip without saying anything.After a long moment, she finally nodded."Okay."However, the disappointment in her eyes was impossible to miss.The activity was called ‘Mommy and Daddy Make a Craft Together’.Inside the classroom, every other child had both parents beside them.Noelle only had me.While we were making our crafts, the little boy sitting nearby asked his mother, "Mommy, why is Noelle here with just her daddy?"His mother lowered her voice. "Don't say things like that. Maybe she comes from a single-

Chapter 3

That evening, Rachel came home early for once.Noelle was playing with her building blocks in the living room. The moment she saw Rachel walk through the door, her eyes lit up.However, she stayed where she was, too careful to move.Rachel glanced at her without saying a word and headed straight for the bedroom.Noelle lowered her head and went back to stacking her blocks.I stood in the kitchen doorway, watching them. A heavy feeling settled in my chest.At dinner, Rachel got a phone call."Jeff? Okay, I'll be right there." She set down her fork and stood up.Noelle finally could not hold it in anymore."Mom..."Rachel stopped.She turned around, her expression icy. "How many times have I told you? Don't call me Mom."All the color drained from Noelle's face. She opened her mouth, but when she spoke, her voice was barely louder than a whisper."Ms. Lloyd... Are you going out?""Yes."Rachel turned and walked away.The moment the door closed behind her, tears slipped do

Chapter 4

That night, I signed the last document.Noelle’s and my flight was booked for 10 AM in two days’ time. I'd already ended the lease, and all our bags were packed.Everything was ready.Before going to bed, I went to check on Noelle.She was asleep, clutching the stuffed doll in her arms. Tear stains still marked her cheeks. I gently pulled the blanket over her, then kissed her forehead."Noelle, I'm taking you with me. We're going somewhere we can build a life of our own."Early the next morning, Rachel suddenly came home. She stood in the living room, staring at the suitcases, her brows drawn together."You're going somewhere?""Yeah. I'm taking Noelle on a little trip for a few days."She did not ask any questions. Instead, she said, "Jeff and Timothy are going to stay here for a few days, so it's actually better if you two are gone. It’s less trouble for everyone."I looked at her and suddenly found the whole thing almost laughable."Okay."Rachel turned to leave, then su

Chapter 5

The amusement park was packed.Rachel took Timothy on the carousel while Noelle stood off to the side and watched.Timothy sat on one of the painted horses, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Ms. Lloyd, look at me!"Rachel smiled and took pictures of him.Noelle watched with envy."Daddy, can I ride it too?" she asked quietly.I took her over to the line.By the time we finally got on, Rachel had already taken Timothy to the next ride.Noelle sat on the carousel, but she kept twisting around to watch Rachel disappear into the crowd.When the ride ended, she took my hand. "Daddy, can we go find Ms. Lloyd?"I nodded and led her through the park.We found Rachel at the bumper cars. She was riding beside Timothy, who was laughing so loudly that people nearby kept turning to look.Noelle stood outside the railing, watching them without moving.After a while, Timothy spotted us. He pointed at Noelle and asked Rachel, "Ms. Lloyd, who's that girl?"Rachel glanced over."She’s ju

Chapter 6

Our plane landed at 3 PM.Noelle pressed her face against the window and stared outside."Daddy, the sky is so blue here!"I smiled and rubbed the top of her head."We're going to live here from now on.""Really?" Her eyes lit up. "Can we get a puppy?""Sure.""Can we go to the beach?""Sure.""Then..." Noelle hesitated. "Will Mommy come looking for us?"I was silent for a moment."No."Noelle lowered her head. Then, she looked up and smiled."That's okay. I have Daddy. That's enough."For the first time, I felt completely certain that I had made the right choice.We rented a small apartment close to Noelle's new school. It was not big, but it was warm and cozy.Noelle had her own little bedroom, with walls she could decorate with her favorite stickers.She spun around the room with excitement. "Daddy, this is my room? It's really my room?""Yeah, it's all yours.""Can I put my doll on the bed?""Of course."Noelle carefully placed the scruffy stuffed doll beside h

Chapter 7

I walked past Rachel and opened the door.Noelle was sitting on the living room rug, hugging her stuffed doll as she watched TV.When she heard the door open, she turned around with a smile."Daddy’s home! I—"The words died in her throat when she saw Rachel standing behind me.Her smile froze.Noelle instinctively took half a step back and hugged her stuffed doll tighter. Her lips moved, but no sound came out.Rachel stood in the doorway, staring at her.I watched them for a moment, then placed my keys on the entryway table."Noelle, go play in your room for a little while."Noelle did not move. Her eyes stayed fixed on Rachel."Noelle."I called her name again.She finally snapped out of it, stood up with the doll in her arms, and lowered her head as she walked toward her room.When she passed Rachel, she stopped for a second."Hello, Ms. Lloyd," she whispered. Then, she hurried into her room and closed the door.Rachel stood there, her expression shifting.I poured

Chapter 8

I stared at Rachel."He came back because he wanted to get back together with me. I said no."She paused."I’m not Timothy’s mother. Timothy is his son with his ex-wife."I was silent for a moment."Rachel, you don't need to explain any of this to me.""I do have to." She stood up. "Zane, I know I've made a lot of mistakes over the years, but Noelle is my daughter. I can’t just let her disappear from my life.""Your life?" I looked at her. "Is she even part of your life?"For the three years we lived together, how many words did you ever say to her? How many meals have you eaten with her? Do you even know what she likes to eat or what she hates? Do you know what time she goes to bed or what time she wakes up?"Rachel said nothing."You don't know." My voice was quiet. "You never even thought about finding out. To you, Noelle was just an accident, a burden and a secret you couldn't let anyone know about.""That isn’t—”"It isn't?"I looked at her."Then tell me. Why did yo

Chapter 9

’Ms. Lloyd.’The moment Rachel heard the way Noelle addressed her, the color drained from her face.She stood up and looked at me, her eyes red.I said nothing and continued eating.The rest of the meal passed in silence.When we finished, Noelle cleared her own dishes, hugged her stuffed doll, and went back to her room.Rachel stood in the living room, staring at the closed door."Where am I supposed to sleep tonight?" she asked.I looked at her."There is nowhere for you to sleep here," I said. "There's a hotel downstairs. It’s two hundred a night."She froze for a moment, then nodded. She picked up her bag and headed for the door.Just before she left, she stopped and looked back at me."Zane, I'm not giving up."I said nothing.She left.After cleaning up the kitchen, I went to check on Noelle. She was sitting on her bed, staring blankly ahead with her stuffed doll in her arms."Noelle."I walked over and sat beside her.She looked up at me. "Daddy, why did Ms. Ll

Chapter 10

That afternoon, I went to pick Noelle up from preschool.On the way home, she asked, "Daddy, is Ms. Lloyd still here?""She is."She was quiet for a moment."Is she leaving today?""I don't know."Another silence. Then she asked, "Daddy, Ms. Lloyd cried today. Was it because I called her Ms. Lloyd?"My heart tightened."No.""Then why did she cry?"I thought for a moment."Because she feels bad about what she did to you."Noelle lowered her head and thought about that for a long time."Why does she feel bad?""Because she didn't spend enough time with you.""If I forgive her, will she stop crying?"I did not know how to answer that.When we got home, Rachel was still there.She had made dinner. Overflowing dishes and a big soup bowl filled the table.Noelle stopped in the doorway, looking at Rachel, then at me."You're back?" Rachel wiped her hands and smiled. "Perfect timing. Dinner is ready. Noelle, go wash your hands."Noelle did not move.I crouched down. "G

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