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.