"You're more fun than your uncle ever was," Emily said playfully, her voice teasing and low. "Shame I married him instead."

Graham froze with her foot still in his hand.

I had always known Graham was Dean Wagner's nephew. I used to think he hesitated to marry me because I had once loved his uncle. But the truth was, he hesitated because his uncle had married the woman he wanted.

I let out a bitter laugh and turned to leave, but that fake-sweet voice called after me.

"Are you Nora Fields?"

I turned and gave her a polite nod. "Hello, Ms. Caldwell."

Graham and I locked eyes. His jaw was tight, and he quickly released her foot.

Emily slipped her heel back on and strolled toward me with a smirk. "You look like you've been doing well. My husband made the right call back then, helping a struggling scholarship student like you.

"You used to stop by Dean's place all the time, but I haven't seen you around lately. Is it because I'm there now and you feel awkward?"

It was true. I had once been a scholarship student Dean sponsored, and I had admired him for years.

After he got married, I disappeared from his life completely.

I looked her dead in the eye. "You're overthinking it. This has nothing to do with you."

She smiled like she knew better. "If you say so. You're welcome to drop by anytime."

Graham, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His brows were furrowed, clearly showing his displeasure. "It's getting late. You should head home."

He cut the conversation short and helped her into her car. Only after she was gone did he turn to me.

"You saw that?"

I nodded.

He hesitated, then explained, "She got blisters on her feet, so I just gave her a quick massage. She's my uncle's wife now. Don't take it the wrong way."

I kept my expression cool. "I'm not taking it the wrong way. You don't need to explain. You look guilty when you do."

Graham's jaw twitched slightly, then he chuckled. "Why are you so worked up? Are you jealous?"

He leaned in and tapped my nose gently. "It's Naomi's birthday today. I'll go pick up a cake. You head home first."

That caught me off guard. For four years in a row, Graham had missed Naomi's birthday because of work.

But then I thought about the way our daughter lit up whenever she thought he might come home. So, I said, "Okay."

Three more days and I'd be gone. One last dinner together wouldn't hurt.

...

At home, I cooked dinner while Naomi put on her favorite dress.

Every few minutes, she ran to the front door to check, then came back to sit quietly on her chair.

"Mommy, when will Daddy be home?" she asked.

I glanced at the food growing cold on the table. Then, I picked up my phone and tried calling Graham again, but he didn't answer.

A sinking feeling settled in my chest. I forced a smile and said softly, "Sweetheart, let's eat first. Daddy might be caught up with work, okay?"

Her eyes turned red, but she nodded obediently.

She pulled a small cake out of her backpack and placed two tiny candles on it. "My teacher gave me this. She said I was the most well-behaved kid in class.

"I wanted to wait for Daddy so the three of us could eat together. But now..."

I looked into those teary eyes, and my heart cracked. I felt heartbroken for her and so disappointed in Graham.

Graham could treat me however he wanted, but how could he be so thoughtless with his own daughter?

I wrapped my arms around her tightly. "No matter what Daddy does, you'll always be my precious girl."

Naomi gave me a bright smile. "I know! As long as you're here, Mommy, I'm the happiest kid in the world!"

After dinner, Naomi quietly went to do her homework, and I started packing.

I found the stack of love letters Graham had written to me back when he was pursuing me. I struck a match and watched the pages curl and burn to ash.

Standing on the balcony, I happened to glance down and saw three familiar figures.

Emily was crying hysterically, her voice echoing up to my floor.

"You really think I can't live without you? I should've said yes to Graham's proposal back then instead of being blind enough to pick you!"

With that, she turned to Graham, tears streaming down her face.

"Graham," Emily said through sobs, "if I divorced Dean, would you marry me?"

Graham looked at her for a long second. "If that's what you want, I'd marry you anytime."

His words exploded in my mind like a thunderclap.

Years ago, when I first found out I was pregnant, I had hopefully asked him, "Should we get married? It'll make things easier for the baby, especially with paperwork."

He had frowned and told me, "Nora, marriage feels like a burden to me. The baby can have your name or mine, it doesn't matter. I don't need a marriage license to give you both a good life."

He gave me everything I asked for for five years, except commitment.

I had truly believed he didn't believe in marriage. But now, I knew the truth. It wasn't about marriage. It was about who he wanted to marry.

I let out a bitter laugh, turned to head back inside, and walked downstairs with the resignation letter in my hands.

Dean's car had already pulled away from the curb.

Emily was still crying in Graham's arms. He held her carefully, wiping the tears from her face.

But when he noticed me, he stiffened and instinctively stepped away from her.

"Emily and Dean had a fight," he said quickly. "She's crashing here for a couple of nights."

Emily blinked at me in surprise. "Nora? What are you doing at Graham's house? What's your relationship to him?"

Before Graham could open his mouth, I smiled and answered for him. "I'm the housekeeper. My daughter's still little, so I work two jobs to save up for a better school."

Graham's expression darkened.

Emily tilted her head thoughtfully. "A housekeeper? I thought maybe you were his lover, but that wouldn't make sense. The woman Graham likes is..."

She glanced at him, then back at me. "Since you're the housekeeper, could you bring my suitcase upstairs? I'll be staying here for a few days."

She turned and walked off like she owned the place.

Graham picked up her heavy suitcase and followed her.

I stepped in front of him and held out the resignation letter. "I've got a document here that needs your signature."

He looked at me like I was an annoyance. "What kind of document's so urgent?"

"It's a client proposal. They need the signed copy this morning, but I've been waiting all day for you."

Graham pressed his lips together. He took the folder, flipped it open, and as he scrawled his name across the bottom, he glanced up at me.

"Why didn't you tell her the truth?"

I actually laughed. He was asking me why I hadn't told Emily I was his girlfriend?

"If I had, you think you wouldn't have been upset?"

His pen faltered slightly. He didn't meet my eyes.

"Just sign it," I said. "I need to bring Ms. Caldwell's suitcase to her room."

Graham quickly scribbled the last of his signature, too distracted by the matter with Emily to even glance at the title on the top page.

Before he could flip through the rest, I smoothly slid the document back into my bag.

After that, I brought the suitcase upstairs to Emily's room.

She glanced at me and said with a smirk, "You're something else, you know that?

"Dean helped you through college, and now you're working for Graham. Looks like every man in my life has ended up connected to you."

I looked her straight in the eye. Dean had become her husband while Graham was her loyal lapdog. I never said a word about it.

"You've got me beat, Ms. Caldwell. You have a wealthy man like Graham as your backup. But I really wonder, if you're trying to have both of them, will you end up with either one?"

Hearing this, her smile vanished.

I didn't wait around. I went straight to Naomi's room, but I stopped just outside the door when I heard Graham's voice inside.

"I ran into Emily on the way home," he said gently. "She was really upset, so I had to take care of her. That's why I didn't get your cake. But tomorrow, I'll get you an even bigger one. Deal?"

Naomi's voice brightened immediately. "Really? That's awesome, Daddy! I'll wait for you to bring it!"

Through the crack in the door, I saw her throw herself into his arms, beaming.

I stood there with a frown.

Our flight was tomorrow evening. If he really brought the cake in the afternoon, maybe Naomi would leave without any regrets.

By noon the next day, Graham really came home with a cake.

Naomi's eyes lit up. She threw herself into his arms with a bright smile. "Daddy, you really got me a cake!"

Graham took her hand and said warmly, "Come on, let's go make a wish."

The scene in front of me was one I hadn't seen in a long time.

Seeing Naomi smile so happily, I couldn't help but smile too.

As long as my daughter was happy, so was I.

Naomi climbed onto the chair, bracing her little hands on the edge of the table, bouncing with excitement. "Mommy, hurry! Help me open the box!"

"Alright." I untied the ribbon and opened the box. The peach cake sat there, perfectly decorated.

But Naomi's smile faded, and so did mine.

Graham didn't notice. He grabbed the plastic knife and cut a piece, placing it on a plate. "Happy birthday, Naomi."

Naomi didn't reach for it. She looked at him disappointedly.

Graham blinked. "You don't like it?"

I clenched the ribbon in my hand, trying to hold back my anger. "Graham, she can't eat peaches. She's allergic. The one who likes peach cake is Emily."

Last year, Naomi had an allergic reaction after eating peaches. Graham had been the one to rush her to the hospital and stay by her side the entire night.

But now, he had completely forgotten.

Was it because Emily and Dean had a fight? Did he think he finally had a chance? Was that why he had only remembered Emily's preferences?

Graham froze, like the memory had finally hit him. His face shifted with a flicker of guilt.

"I'm sorry. I really forgot," he said apologetically.

He looked at Naomi and added, "Emily got alcohol poisoning last night. She's in the hospital. I need to go see her. I'll bring home a new cake tonight and we'll celebrate again, okay?"

It was Emily again!

I could take him brushing me off, but never my daughter.

I took a sharp breath, ready to finally say everything I'd been holding back.

But before I could speak, Naomi lowered her eyes and shook her head. "It's okay, Mr. Ashford. You should go take care of her."

Graham stiffened. "Mr. Ashford? Why are you calling me that?"

I smiled. "Isn't that what you wanted? Mr. Ashford, my daughter is only doing what you wished."

He looked torn, like he wanted to say something else. But in the end, all he said was, "I'll be back soon."

The front door slammed behind him, and the house fell silent again.

When I turned to Naomi, I saw that her eyes were reddened.

I wrapped her up in my arms, my heart aching. "Sweetheart, there's been a change with my job. We're going abroad together, okay?"

She choked back a sob and nodded.

I stroked her hair gently. "But we probably won't see Daddy again. Is that alright?"

Surprisingly, Naomi hugged me tighter. Her voice came out through tears. "I know. He wants to take care of Emily. He doesn't have time for me or you.

"I know he doesn't want us. But it's okay. You have me, and I have you. That's enough."

Something broke inside me. My eyes burned, my chest clenched so tightly I could barely breathe.

"Alright, sweetheart. Let's go."

Graham didn't want us. So, we didn't want him either.

I handed in my resignation and left the office. Then, I took Naomi's hand and headed straight to the airport.

...

Graham came home that evening with another cake in hand.

But when he stepped into the quiet, empty house, a wave of panic washed over him.

He quickly pulled out his phone to call me, but it went straight to voicemail. He tried again, but there was still no answer.

I never turned off my phone. Not once in the years we'd been together.

Graham felt uneasy, sensing that something wasn't right.

He quickly called his assistant, Adeline Hamilton. "Check for me. Is Nora still at the company?"

There was a pause on the other end. "Mr. Ashford, didn't you approve her resignation yourself? She turned in the letter this afternoon. She's been gone for hours. She is probably already out of Eastmoore."