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All Chapters of The Long Waits Were Over: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

10 Chapters

Chapter 1

Ryan replied to my text quickly.[I can have the agreement drafted tonight. You should also start preparing for Tammy's custody. First, gather your messages from the past few years.] I had just finished saving the screenshots when Wilson came through the door. He was still wearing the light blue shirt from the broadcast, with a smear of cream on his sleeve. Vivian came in behind him, holding Leonard's hand. "Is there anything to eat? Leonard's been saying he's hungry since the event ended." Wilson put his coat over the back of a chair and ordered me as usual. "Make him some pasta. Less green onions. He doesn't eat them." I did not move. Tammy peeked out from behind me, clutching the drawing she had torn in half. "Dad, why didn't you come to watch me dance?" Wilson finally noticed that Tammy was still wearing her costume. He paused for two seconds, then bent down to pat her head. "Something came up. I'll come next time." Tammy dodged his hand. "My teacher said today was t

Chapter 2

Vivian quickly bent down to calm Tammy down. "Don't cry, Tammy. We can always buy another crown. I can see your drawing's torn… Let me tape it back together, okay?" As she spoke, she reached out and took the torn drawing from Tammy's arms. However, Tammy lunged forward to grab them back. Vivian let go, and both pieces fell into the flame of the scented candle still burning at the edge of the table. Flames immediately started to burn the corner of the paper. As I slapped out the flames with my bare hand, the thick smoke made Tammy cough. She had very sensitive airways, and had mild asthma. She could not tolerate the smoke. One of the three figures in the drawing had already burned away. Tammy looked at the part of the drawing that survived and finally burst into tears. "Mom! Dad's gone!" Vivian hurriedly grabbed a tissue and held it out. "I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to. Tammy, can you draw another one?" I hit her hand away. "Get out." Wilson left Leonard with her and

Chapter 3

Wilson answered right in front of the teachers. "I'll go with Leonard to tomorrow's class." Tammy slowly let go of his shirt. "You promised Tammy you will teach her to make a kite during the visit," I said. "There will be other chances," he said calmly. "Leonard's classmates have just started talking about him because he calls me Dad. If I don't go, it will embarrass him even more." "So you're going to embarrass your own daughter instead?" I asked. Wilson glanced around before saying, "Don't argue here at school. You'll make us look bad." Vivian's eyes were red as she explained, "Nora, I can ask Wilson not to go, but Leonard's therapist said he can't handle being abandoned again right now." I stared at her. "My daughter had three nightmares last night." "Tammy has you." Then, Vivian quickly softened her voice after seemingly realizing how that sounded. "What I'm trying to say is that she's luckier than Leonard." Tammy suddenly looked up. "I can let Leonard borrow Dad

Chapter 4

The day Wilson went to school for the Dad and Me Class activity, Tammy never went into the classroom. She sat at the end of the hallway holding the repaired kite. When the teacher called me, Tammy kept repeating the same thing. "Dad isn't my dad today." When I reached the kindergarten, Vivian was using her phone to take pictures of Wilson and Leonard. The three of them stood in front of the project they had made together. Wilson lowered his head and patiently straightened Leonard's collar. Still, Tammy ran over when she saw him. "Dad!" Wilson turned with a slight frown. "Why haven't you gone inside yet?" "The teacher told me to find my dad first," Tammy said as she held out the kite. "Can you just hold it steady for me? It won't take long." Leonard immediately wrapped his arms around Wilson's leg. "No, he's mine today!" Vivian scolded him gently. "Leonard, don't say that. Wilson is Tammy's dad." Leonard pouted. "But last night, you said that Daddy Wilson would alway

Chapter 5

Only when the hammer struck down the third time did the lock finally break. I immediately rushed inside and pushed away the curtains that had fallen over Tammy. Meanwhile, she was curled up in a corner, her face already pale. "Tammy, look at me!" I yelled, but she could barely open her eyes. All she could do was to grip one of my fingers. When the ambulance finally arrived, a medic put an oxygen mask on her. Wilson tried to get into the ambulance, but I raised a hand to stop him. "Don't touch her." "Nora, this isn't the time to act out of spite," Wilson said. "When you deleted the footage, did you ever think she might die in there?!" I almost roared back at him. Wilson's lips instantly went pale. Vivian hurried after us with Leonard in her arms. "Wilson, don't leave yet. The principal said she's calling the police. Leonard's so young... He can't have something like this on his record." Wilson looked at the ambulance, then back at Vivian. For me, that one glance was

Chapter 6

Wilson slowly let go of my wrist. He stood outside the door, watching Tammy bury her face against my chest after she walked up to me. "Don't let Dad in." Tammy's voice was shaking. "Mom, close the door." I closed the hospital room door right in front of him. Meanwhile, Wilson stayed on the other side of the glass. He did not leave. That afternoon, Wilson's mother, Karen, arrived at the hospital. Her first words were, "Vivian called me and said you want to hold Leonard responsible?" I tucked Tammy's blanket around her. "He locked Tammy in an equipment room. He needs to apologize and be taught that what he did was wrong." Karen lowered her voice as she said, "He's five. What does he know? Besides, Tammy's doing fine, isn't she?" I looked at her. "Who told you she was fine?" "Wilson did. He said she had just been frightened and would be fine with a little oxygen." A doctor walked in just then and corrected her coldly. "She had an acute asthma attack. If she didn't get

Chapter 7

As we settled in our new home, Wilson came over with a box of things on the third day. As soon as I opened the door, he pushed the box toward me. "I brought Tammy's picture books, clothes, and the nightlight next to her bed." I looked down and checked the box without letting him in. After that, I said, "Thanks." He froze up at my polite response. "Do we really have to talk like this?" "How else should I speak to you, Mr. Gomez?" I asked. He stared at me for a long time. "I already told Vivian not to contact me again." I nodded. "That's your business." "You used to care," Wilson said. "It's all in the past now," I said, almost chuckling. I could hear Tammy talking to my mother, Celia, from inside. Wilson instinctively glanced in the direction of the voice and asked "How is she today?" "Her latest checkup went very well," I said. "Can I see her?" Wilson asked. I shook my head. "I asked. She doesn't want to see you." He ran his fingers along the edge of the box

Chapter 8

Wilson texted me the next morning. [Vivian had low blood sugar. She's fine now.] [No one was staying with Leonard last night and I couldn't leave a kid alone at the hospital.] [The circumstances were different this time.] I gave all three messages to Ryan and said, "Add them to the file." Ryan read them and shook his head. "He just keeps proving you were right to divorce him." Wilson arrived half an hour late for mediation. His shirt was wrinkled, and he had dark circles under his eyes. The first thing he said when he sat down was, "I won't agree to a divorce." I set the records I had compiled on the table. They documented thirty-seven calls, twenty-one leaving on short notice, and seven important events in Tammy's life that he had missed. On top were the records showing he had deleted the security footage from the kindergarten. Wilson looked at the thick stack of papers, his expression darkened. "You've been keeping track of all this?" "Since Tammy's third birthday

Chapter 9

Wilson watched the video three times. In the video, Leonard asked, "If I call him Dad, will he live with us?" Vivian smiled as she helped him into his outfit that would match with Wilson's later. "As long as everyone thinks we're a family, he'll be too embarrassed to stop taking care of you." When the video ended, the veins popped on the back of Wilson's hand. "Who sent this?" "Vivian's ex-husband," Ryan answered. "When he petitioned to change the custody arrangement, he found the event footage the school had uploaded." Wilson immediately called Vivian. "Why does the registration form for the Take Your Family to School Day list me as Leonard's stepfather?" She was quiet for two seconds, then started sobbing. "I was just afraid the school would look down on him for being raised by a single mom." "What about the live broadcast?" Wilson asked. "Leonard wanted a dad. I was just trying to comfort him," Vivian answered. "So you deliberately told him to call me Dad on live

Chapter 10

As Tammy walked in holding Celia's hand, Wilson instinctively stood up. Tammy stopped for a moment when she saw Wilson. This time, she did not tremble or step back. She simply looked at him quietly. Wilson crouched down, his eyes red. "Tammy, I'll leave as soon as I finish signing." Tammy looked down and saw the agreement on the table. "Does that mean you won't be my dad anymore?" "I'll still be your dad." He swallowed. "As long as you want me to be, I always will." Tammy thought for a moment. "Then will someone else borrow you again?" Tears rolled down Wilson's cheeks. "No." Still, Tammy shook her head. "But I don't want to wait for you anymore." "I can wait for you," Wilson said. Tammy looked at him and asked, "For how long?" "As long as it takes," Wilson said. Tammy did not answer him as she simply pushed the burned drawing toward Wilson. Then, she said, "You can have this." Wilson's hands trembled. "You don't want it anymore?" "My teacher told me to draw a

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