My daughter Lily was rushed to the ER for a severe allergic reaction. And my partner, Liam Caldwell? He was at a school fundraiser for his first love's son.

I dialed his number, but it was Jessica Thorne's voice that answered.

Her tearful, insincere apology was cut short when Liam grabbed the phone from her, his voice tight with impatience.

"She's a single mom, Ava. Things are tough for her. Is it so wrong for me to help her out?"

I hung up and turned to my daughter, pale and weak on the hospital bed. I smoothed back her hair. "Lily," I asked softly, "from now on, it's just the two of us, okay?"

————————

1

My daughter lifted her small face, still swollen and red from the allergy, and whispered, "Okay."

"That's my brave girl."

I kissed her forehead and picked up my phone, calling the school to ask about the transfer process.

They told me it would take a month, at the earliest.

But that didn't matter.

If I could endure a decade in this sham of a relationship, I could endure another month.

Lily's round eyes kept darting toward the door of the hospital room. She didn't say anything, but I knew she was waiting for her father, Liam.

I called him again, hoping he would at least say goodnight to her.

The phone rang for what felt like an eternity before he finally answered, his voice sharp and cold with impatience.

"Ava, I'm at dinner with Mason. Do you really need to check on me every five seconds?"

"First the endless calls, and now you’re making up stories about Lily having an allergic reaction? God, Ava, are you that desperate for my attention?"

The background was a cacophony of noise. Through the din, I recognized the cheerful jingle of Lily's favorite ice cream parlor.

Liam always claimed he was too busy with work, yet here he was, at a dinner for Mason, even taking him and Jessica out for ice cream.

Suddenly, a clear little voice chirped, "Daddy, why aren't you eating?"

My hand trembled so violently the phone nearly slipped from my grasp.

Just then, Liam hung up.

He didn't come home for a week.

In the past, I might have tearfully confronted him, demanding to know if he was sleeping at Jessica's again. But now? I didn't have the energy to call back.

Then, unexpectedly, Liam came home.

The moment he walked through the door, he was on the attack.

"You didn't get Mason a gift for his party this week, did you?"

"Whatever's going on with us, you don't take it out on a kid. Besides, Jessica is terrible at picking out gifts, so I told her you'd handle it."

I lowered my eyes and said nothing.

Liam's expression softened almost imperceptibly. He reached out, giving my hand a light squeeze.

"Haven't you always wanted to go to Hawaii? If you behave..."

How ridiculous. Ten years together, and we’d never made it to Hawaii. We’d never even gotten a marriage license.

The night before we were supposed to sign the papers, Jessica's husband died in an accident, leaving her with their one-year-old son.

She had a complete breakdown and was hospitalized. Liam dropped everything to care for her, shutting out the rest of the world.

Our wedding was postponed indefinitely.

And now, he thought a hollow promise of a trip to Hawaii could make me bend to his will. I just stared at him, my expression a blank slate.

Before the tension could snap, my phone rang. It was Lily's teacher.

Lily had gotten into a fight at school.

I grabbed my bag and rushed out the door.

Liam, his face suddenly tight with alarm, ran after me. He pulled the car around to the curb, and I got into the passenger seat without a word.

Then, I saw something that made my blood run cold.

Stuck to the passenger-side window was a small, heart-shaped sticker that read, "J.T.'s Co-pilot." Jessica Thorne's designated seat.

Liam buckled his seatbelt.

When he saw what I was staring at, his expression shifted. A flicker of panic crossed his eyes as he hastily peeled the sticker off and shoved it into his pocket.

Fearing the usual tears and accusations, he started to explain, "Jessica was just messing around, she stuck that on as a joke, it's not—"

"Just drive. Lily's waiting," I interrupted, my voice devoid of emotion.

Liam stared at the side of my face for a long moment before falling silent and starting the car.

...

In my mind, I replayed the image of him carefully, almost tenderly, tucking that sticker into his pocket.

That one small gesture confirmed it: the past ten years of my life had been a complete waste.

When we arrived at the school office, a little boy was wailing dramatically. Lily stood off to the side, her small shoulders trembling, silent tears streaming down her face from behind a curtain of disheveled hair.

I recognized the boy instantly. It was Mason Vance, Jessica's son.

Liam strode past me into the office, his tall frame completely blocking my view.

When Lily saw him, her eyes lit up with a flicker of hope.

She started to run toward him, but Mason beat her to it, launching himself into Liam's arms.

Liam hesitated for a split second before instinctively scooping Mason up to comfort him.

My fists clenched. I forced myself to uncurl them and pulled Lily into my arms.

Clinging to Liam's neck, Mason tattled, "Lily tried to steal my tablet! That's why I pushed her."

"You're lying! You ruined my drawing first!" Lily cried out, her voice raw.

The two of them looked ready to start screaming at each other again.

Liam rubbed his temples. "Is there a form for the damages?" he asked the teacher. "We'll cover it."

"Yes, of course. I'll get it."

As the teacher left to get the forms, Mason started looking around anxiously.

Just then, Jessica swept into the room. Without a word, she gave Mason a gentle tap on the arm while scolding him in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

"How could you bully a girl? Mommy's a girl, does that mean you can bully me, too?"

"Don't you ever think about how your actions affect others?"

Jessica’s body trembled, and tears welled in her eyes, rolling gracefully down her cheeks. She was always heart-wrenchingly beautiful when she cried.

Liam pulled both mother and son into his embrace.

"I told you I'd always protect you," he murmured. "No one is going to hurt you."

I whispered an apology to the teacher, then covered Lily's eyes with my hand and carried her out of the room.

She sobbed into my shoulder, the warmth of her tears soaking my palm as she choked out, "M-Mommy, I hate... I hate Daddy."

"Mm," I murmured, my voice thick. "Me too."

...

One evening, Liam came straight home from work, holding a beautifully decorated cupcake.

"I waited in line for this for you. Go on, have it." With that, he disappeared into the bathroom for a shower.

The sweet scent of buttercream drew Lily over. Just as I opened the box, Liam's phone, left on the table, lit up with a social media notification.

It was a post from Jessica.

[Huge thanks to Liam for treating us to a big box of delicious cupcakes today!]

The accompanying photo showed her and Mason grinning, posing with a large box filled with cupcakes identical to the one in my hand.

A whole box for them. A single, leftover cupcake for us.

A hot wave of humiliation washed over me.

Without a second thought, I scraped the cupcake into the trash can.

Liam chose that exact moment to walk out of the bathroom.

"What did I do wrong this time?" he asked, his voice weary.

I said nothing, just slid his phone across the table toward him. He glanced at the screen, sighed, and rubbed his forehead.

"Lily upset Mason earlier. I was just trying to make it up to them."

"So you think it was Lily's fault?"

He didn't answer.

I pointed to the door. "Get out."

"You're being completely unreasonable," Liam said coldly, and then he was gone.

The paperwork for Lily's school transfer was almost complete.

So, I kept her home from school, and we spent our days curled up on the sofa, looking at pictures of cities we'd like to live in.

"Mommy, I like Portland. It has so many pretty gardens."

"Portland? Are you two planning a trip?"

Liam's voice made me jump. I hadn't even heard him come in.

I quickly locked my phone. Just as he reached for it, his own phone rang.

Jessica's panicked voice shrieked through the receiver. "Liam! Mason has a fever! I don't know what to do!"

The color drained from Liam's face. He scrambled to throw on his coat and rushed toward the door.

"Don't panic, I'm on my way."

In his haste, he banged his knee hard on the corner of the table.

When Mason got sick, Liam dropped everything in a blind panic. Yet when Lily had a severe allergic reaction, he thought I was just being dramatic.

My God, Liam. Could you be any more obvious?

Lily seemed to realize it too. She quietly climbed into bed, turned her face to the wall, and sulked.

Later that night, after tucking Lily in, I was scrolling through my phone and saw a new post from Jessica.

[Having these two in my life is all I need.]

In the photo, Liam was carefully tucking Mason into bed, his expression etched with concern.

Jessica, wrapped in Liam's coat, was smiling sweetly at the camera.

A cold impulse shot through me, and I liked the post.

A second later, the post vanished.

Then, my phone rang. It was Liam.

"Ava, Jessica was just being emotional when she posted that. Did you have to make such a big deal out of it?"

I scoffed. All I did was like it.

"I don't have time for this," he sighed. "By the way, Jessica's place has a leak. They're going to stay with us for a couple of weeks."

"Get the guest room ready for them."

He hung up before I could utter a single word.