When I'm done putting my daughter, Alani Carter, to sleep, I suddenly come across a social media post.

"My husband, who's always been uncaring about the household matters, suddenly decides to be more engaging and helpful recently. What's the reason behind his change in behavior?"

The comments in that comment section cut to the chase immediately. "Oh, there's no doubt about the answer. Either he's having an affair behind your back, or he wants your money."

As soon as I leave a like on the answer, my husband, Michael Carter, who has never cared about Alani before, suddenly asks me, "What sort of homework does Alani have today?"

That's when I notice the parents' group chat on my phone, where Demi Miller's mother, Yvette Miller, has tagged Michael there abruptly.

"Mr. Carter, what's tonight's homework?"

He has responded to her immediately, "Give me a moment. I'll send you the list later."

I glance at the time. It's already 10:30 pm.

We've been married for so many years, and yet Michael has never responded to any of my WhatsApp messages on time before.

I secretly tap on Yvette's profile picture, only to find out that her social media feed is filled with coincidental meetings with Michael.

Apparently, she has met him coincidentally at the amusement park, at a bookstore, and even at a family restaurant the three of us have frequented.

When I pick Alani up from the kindergarten in the next evening, I happen to overhear Yvette telling another parent, "Alani's dad sure has a heart of gold! He even helps me take care of Demi!

"Whenever I ask him questions regarding Demi, he's able to answer me on the spot. Parents who care this much about children are a rarity these days!"

I continue the topic smilingly, "Isn't that right? Michael has never attended a single parent-child meeting related to his own daughter, and yet he's quite skilled in helping others raise their children."

After that, I find myself a secluded corner, where I dial my lawyer's phone number immediately.

"Have you prepared the divorce contract? I want him to leave this marriage without a single cent to his name!"

I hung up and had just turned the corner by the school gate when I spotted a familiar figure—Michael Carter, my husband, the father of my child.

He stood among the cluster of parents, a strawberry cake in his hand, craning his neck to look toward the entrance. I stopped in my tracks.

We had been married for a decade. Three years since our daughter, Alani Carter, started elementary school, and not once had he come.

Last month, when Alani came down with a fever and needed to be picked up early, I called Michael and told him to go. He said he was stuck in a meeting.

Six months ago, when I had sudden gastritis and needed surgery, I asked him to pick up Alani. He sent the nanny instead.

Now, suddenly, here he was. He actually found the time to come to school? What would I see next? Pigs in the sky?

Alani had just walked out when she ran to my side. She turned her head, her eyes lighting up with surprise. "Mom, look, it's Dad!"

She pulled free from my hand and ran toward Michael. He caught her in his arms, smiling like the perfect, doting father. "Hey, sweetheart! I'm here to pick you up! And look. I even brought your favorite strawberry cake."

Alani wrapped her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek.

I walked over. When Michael saw me, his smile stiffened for a moment. "Oh, hey… I happened to be passing by in the area today. Thought I'd pick you two up."

"Passing by, huh?"

I glanced at the cake in his hand, then swept my eyes across the crowd of parents. Sure enough, I spotted Demi Miller's mother holding a cake in an identical box.

I said nothing. I watched as he set Alani down, then I took her hand. "Let's go. We're heading home."

To my surprise, for the next three days, Michael would show up at the school gate right on time. Every day, he brought something different—candy, pudding…

One day, he even brought a stuffed toy. Alani loved it so much she hugged it tight and refused to let go.

That night, just before bed, she suddenly asked me, "Mom, will Dad pick me up from school every day from now on?"

I paused. "Did he tell you that?"

"Mm-hm! He said he'll come every day! And also take me to the amusement park!"

I stroked her head. "That sounds nice. Now, get some sleep, Alani."

When I returned to my bedroom, I lay there tossing and turning, unable to drift off.

Michael's phone was still lit up. I turned slightly and glanced at him. The moment he noticed, he flipped the phone face down on the nightstand.

"What are you looking at?" I asked.

"Just scrolling TikTok," he said, his expression steady, nothing out of the ordinary.

However, the constant stream of message notifications from his phone didn't stop for a second. I laughed coldly to myself.

On Saturday morning, Michael got up early for once.

"I'm taking Alani to the amusement park today," he said as he slipped on his shoes.

I looked out the window. The weather was nice. "I'll come, too."

He froze for a second. "You will? Didn't you say you had to work this weekend?"

"Not anymore," I said, picking up my coat. "It's not often you make time to be with Alani. She's been saying she wants all of us to go to the amusement park together. Our kid comes first."

Michael's expression shifted, but he said nothing.

Alani came rushing out of her room, already dressed, and threw her arms around his leg. "Dad's taking me to the amusement park! He's the best!"

He smiled, but it looked comically forced.

The amusement park was packed.

The moment we walked in, Alani grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the carousel. I was just about to say yes when Michael's phone rang. He glanced at the screen and stepped aside to take the call.

When he came back, his expression looked a little off. "What a coincidence. I was just chatting in the group chat, and it turns out Demi and her mom are here, too. She's in the same class as Alani anyway. We should just hang out together."

Another coincidence?

I looked him straight in the eye, my tone edged with sarcasm. "Really? That is quite a coincidence. Funny though, I didn't see anything in the parents' group chat. Since when did you get so close to Demi's mom?"

Before I could say more, Michael's face flushed red. "Can you stop overthinking things all the time? Demi and Alani are best friends at school. That's the only reason I've talked to her mom more. Not everyone is as twisted as you!"

The way he got so worked up was almost amusing. I countered, "I haven't even said anything yet. Chill out with your defensiveness."

Just then, Demi's mother, Yvette Miller, walked over, smiling brightly while holding Demi's hand. "Oh, wow. What a coincidence! I didn't expect to run into you guys here. Demi wanted to ride the carousel, so we came."

The moment Demi saw Michael, her eyes lit up, and she ran straight at him. "Mr. Carter!"

He bent down right away and picked her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a kiss.

Alani stood beside me, tugging at my sleeve. In a small voice, she said, "Mom, I want Dad to carry me, too."

Hearing that, Michael turned to look at Alani. "Be good, Alani. I'm carrying Demi right now. Can you walk on your own?"

She lowered her head and said nothing. At that, I crouched down and picked her up. "It's okay. Mom's got you."

We spent the whole morning at the amusement park, going on the carousel, the train, the bumper cars… Every time we stood in line, Michael held Demi, even letting her sit on his shoulders.

Alani trailed behind, holding my hand, unusually quiet.

At lunchtime, Michael returned with two kids' meals. He opened one and set it before Demi. "Here, your favorite burger. Dig in."

Her eyes curved into a smile. "Thank you, Mr. Carter!"

Then, he placed the other one in front of Alani. "You too, Alani."

I looked at the two meals. Demi's had everything—a burger, fries, a soda, and a toy. Alani's had just the burger and soda, with no fries or toy.

"Where's her toy?" I asked, looking up at Michael.

He froze. "Huh? This is it. The one with the toy went to Demi—naturally—because Alani doesn't like that stuff anyway."

I looked at Alani, who was staring at the toy in Demi's hand, her eyes reddening. Still, she didn't cry. I felt sorry for her and reached out to gently pat her head.

I could always buy her another one, but it wouldn't mean the same.

In the afternoon, Michael took Demi to ride the Ferris wheel. "Alani, you're afraid of heights. You wait down here for me, okay?"

Alani tugged at his sleeve. "But Dad, I'm not scared of heights. Please, can I come with you?"

"Maybe next time. Demi really wants to ride the Ferris wheel today. I'll accompany her this time," Michael said, leading Demi away hand-in-hand without looking back once.

Alani stood where she was, watching their backs disappear. I crouched down. "Alani, sweetheart, I'll go on the ride with you."

She shook her head. Her eyes were finally red-rimmed. "Mom, I don't have to ride it. I just want Dad to come with me… Does he not like me anymore, Mom?"

She buried her face in my shoulder. She didn't cry aloud, but her shoulders kept shaking. I looked at her, and something in me settled into a hard certainty.

If this "father" was nothing more than a presence that came and went, then maybe I should take Alani and let go of him.

By evening, the amusement park had started to empty.

Demi said she wanted cotton candy, so Michael immediately went to buy it. When Yvette went to the restroom, he quickly offered to keep an eye on her, too.

"Alani, take Demi to the slides for a bit. Ms. Miller and I will be back soon."

Alani and Demi ran toward the slide. I sat on a nearby bench and checked the time on my phone. The moment I set it down, a sharp scream sliced through the air.

I snapped my head up.

At the top of the slide, Demi stood, looking down. Alani was on the ground, not moving. My heart dropped, and I rushed over immediately.

Alani had a cut on her forehead. Blood was already running all over her face.

"Alani!" I screamed, kneeling beside her, my hands trembling. "Alani, look at me!"

Demi stood at the top of the slide and shouted, "She tried to push me!"

Meanwhile, Michael ran over, his cotton candy falling to the ground. His first instinct was to check on Demi. "Hey, are you alright? Did you get hurt?"

She shook her head. Only then did he look at Alani, but his face dropped. "What happened here? Is this how you watch the kids?"

My hands were still shaking as I dialed emergency services. Then, I turned and slapped Michael across the face. "If anything happens to Alani, I am not letting this go! You hear that, Michael?"

In the emergency room corridor, I sat on the bench, my hands still smeared with Alani's blood.

Michael stood nearby, on the phone. "It's fine. Nothing serious. Just a fall… Alright, don't cry. Demi's fine… No, you don't need to come. I'll handle it…"

He ended the call and walked over. "What did the doctor say?"

I looked up at him. "I'm surprised you have the nerve to ask. Do you even know how Alani got hurt?"

He hesitated. "Wasn't it because she tried to push Demi and lost her balance?"

"And you believed it just because Demi said so?"

He frowned. "What else, then? Demi would never lie—"

"There were cameras at the park," I interrupted him. "I already asked the staff to pull the footage. They sent it to my phone."

I pulled out my phone and played the footage.

On the screen, Alani was standing at the top of the slide, ready to go down. Demi came up from behind, forcing her way through, and shoved Alani hard. Then, Alani fell off the side of the slide and hit her head on the ground.

Michael stared at the screen, totally speechless.

"You saw your daughter get pushed, end up with a head injury and bleeding, but your first instinct was to check on someone else's child."

He opened his mouth, wanting to argue.

Just then, the emergency doors opened. The doctor stepped out. "Patient's awake. She has three stitches on her forehead and a mild concussion. She'll need to stay overnight for observation."

Without hesitation, I darted into the ward. Alani was lying in a hospital bed, her forehead wrapped in gauze, her face pale. The moment she saw me, tears spilled over.

"Mom… I'm in pain…"

I held her tightly, my hands still trembling. "It's okay. I'm here now. I'm here, my darling sweetheart."

Michael had just started to step into the ward when his phone rang. "What? You cut your wrist? Don't panic, Demi! I'll be right there!"

Then, without another glance at Alani or me, he turned and rushed out.

At that moment, my phone lit up with a message. "Ms. Wilson, the evidence has been collected. I've sent it to you for your records. It's enough to ensure your husband leaves with nothing."

I stared at the screen, my eyes widening in shock. Then, I closed the message.

I gently touched Alani's small face. Slowly, my thoughts steadied.

After a long moment, I replied, "Let's not rush the court proceedings for now."

Before that, I wanted to catch a good show first.