I Risked Everything, But You Only Wanted to Escape Unharmed

On Katie's birthday, she was eagerly waiting for her dad to come home and celebrate, but he never showed up.

Holding her smartwatch, she curiously asked me, "Mom, is this boy also Daddy's child?"

In the photo, my husband, Daniel Peterson, was smiling ear to ear, holding a little boy. His comment was: [Look at my handsome boy!]

That's when I realized that Daniel, who had used a meeting as an excuse to skip Katie's birthday, was actually having a great time at the amusement park with his lover's son.

He even went so far as to block me on social media.

I grabbed Katie's smartwatch and left a comment on Daniel's post: [You're just her cash machine, you pathetic cheater!]

Then, I turned to look at Katie who sat sadly in my arms. This time, I finally gave up.

From now on, Daniel would not be allowed to enter this house!

——

It didn't even take three seconds before Daniel's call came through.

As soon as I answered, he started yelling at me.

"Lisa, have you lost all manners? What are you doing leaving ridiculous comments with Katie's smartwatch? Delete it now!"

I didn't answer him and instead asked, "Do you even remember it's Katie's birthday today?"

Since Katie was born, Daniel has always had an excuse to miss her birthdays.

Every time I saw Katie's disappointed face, it broke my heart.

So this time, before I left in the morning, I reminded Daniel.

His tone was full of impatience. "Lisa, you've told me this a thousand times already! I'm not senile. Can you stop repeating yourself?"

I could only smile helplessly. For the sake of Katie's birthday wish, I didn't want to argue with him.

I even called Daniel again that afternoon to remind him, but he snapped back at me.

"Lisa, how many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me when I'm at work!

"You're affecting my job. I'm working so hard to put bread on the table. Can't you be more considerate?

"Who's going to pay the bills if I lose my job?"

Even though he yelled at me, I figured it was worth it for Katie.

I thought this time, there's no way Daniel would forget Katie's birthday.

But once again, Daniel didn't show up.

Not only did he completely forget Katie's birthday, but he was happily playing at the amusement park with Jessica's son.

Daniel's voice on the phone was still filled with anger.

"What's the big deal about a kid's birthday? You're spoiling her at such a young age—what's she going to be like when she grows up?

"A girl should be grateful just to have food and clothes. Always wanting to be treated like a princess—it's your fault she's becoming so spoiled and wasteful. I wonder who will even marry her!"

I bit my lip, looking at Katie, who was slumped over the table, feeling down because her dad didn't show up.

For the first time, I confronted Daniel head-on.

"So, you're rushing to play dad for Jessica Bennett's son, but Katie only deserves scraps?

"I wonder if Jessica's husband would crawl out of his grave to thank you for your dedication."

That comment completely enraged Daniel.

"Lisa, what kind of nonsense are you spouting?

"Jessica's a single mom raising her kid alone—it's not easy. Don't you have any compassion?

"Tommy grew up without a father. As Jessica's friend, is it so wrong for me to care for him a little more?"