I've been married for eight years, but my husband won't let our daughter call him "Dad" because his childhood sweetheart's son struggles with severe depression.

After he missed our daughter's parent-teacher meeting again because he was with Susan Lawson and her son, I decided to leave. I prepare the divorce papers and decide to leave with my daughter.

I go to her school and find her homeroom teacher, Laura Anderson. "Ms. Anderson, I'd like to apply for a school transfer."

She looks surprised. "Why the sudden decision to transfer?"

I reply calmly, "Her dad has been working out of town, but he's finally settled down and wants us to move there."

Laura sighs. "Well, that's not bad. I always thought you were a single mom."

I smile.

I'm not, for now. But I'll be one very soon.

I had just stepped out of the office when I saw Harold Jefferson walking over with Susan Lawson and her son, Jacob Lawson.

Jacob seemed to have told a joke, as the three of them were laughing happily.

A sense of bitterness welled up in my chest, and I instinctively stopped in my tracks.

The moment Jacob saw me, his expression changed. He quickly hid behind Harold.

Instantly, Harold adopted a defensive stance with an icy glare as he asked accusingly, "What are you doing here?"

Harold was clearly the father of my daughter, Yvette Jefferson. Yet, he stood there protecting someone else's child.

I dug my nails into my palm. The last shred of attachment in my heart vanished.

Lowering my eyes, I replied calmly, "Yvette attends this school as well. Am I not allowed to come speak with her homeroom teacher?"

Susan smiled. "What a coincidence. We're also here to see Ms. Anderson. Jacob has a sensitive stomach, and Harold's concerned that the school's milk might be of low quality for the kids. So he just invested in a dairy factory. It's clean and safe, so parents can feel at ease."

I pretended not to notice the provocation in Susan's eyes, but there was a bitter taste in my throat that I couldn't swallow.

Yvette was born with multiple allergies, making the school cafeteria's diverse meal options a constant challenge for her.

Feeling concerned, I decided to contact the teacher several times, only to be reprimanded by Harold. "Teachers already have a tough job. Why are you bothering them so much?"

He wouldn't let me talk to the teachers, so all I could do was remind Yvette again and again to be extra careful.

However, she was just a child. There were bound to be slip-ups. Seeing Yvette's arms covered in rashes broke my heart.

It wasn't until I started waking up early to prepare her school lunches that her condition began to improve.

I once thought Harold was loyal to his principles, as he avoided using his connections to pull strings. But Susan's words hit me hard.

So, it turned out he wasn't against using his connections. He just refused to use them for me and Yvette.

I swallowed the words about transferring Yvette to another school and simply said, "Oh? Well, congratulations."

With that, I turned to leave.

When I returned to the classroom, Yvette had finished packing and was waiting patiently at the door for me. The moment she saw me, her eyes lit up. She ran over excitedly and held out her report card.

"Mommy! I just saw Daddy. Is he here to attend the parent-teacher meeting for me? Look! My result is the best for every subject. Even Ms. Anderson said I'm amazing."

As I looked at her outstanding results on the report card, my vision blurred. I ruffled her hair, then took out my phone and called Harold.

However, no one answered. I called several more times before the line finally connected.

"Hello. What is it?" His voice was cold and distant.

With Yvette's hopeful eyes on me, I said, "Yvette ranked first in the midterm exams. She hopes you can come to the parent-teacher meeting."

There was a pause on the other end. Then, Harold finally agreed. "Alright. Got it."

With that, he hung up in a hurry.

But I didn't mind at all. I was simply overjoyed. I crouched down and shared the good news with Yvette.

"Your dad said yes. He's coming to the parent-teacher meeting for you."

"Really?"

She was really happy, her face lighting up with a big smile. She ran back into the classroom and started wiping her desk and chair, again and again.

After that, she turned to me and asked, "Mommy, can I borrow your phone for a second?"

I handed it to her, feeling a little puzzled. "What do you need it for?"

She took a couple of photos of her seat, then looked up at me seriously. "I'm afraid Daddy might not find my spot. If I send him pictures, he won't get confused."

Yvette used my phone to send the photo over. She was probably too happy to hold back and ended up sending a voice message as well.

Her tone was cautious. "Daddy, this is my seat in the classroom. Don't go to the wrong one, okay?"

Hearing Yvette's timid, childish voice made my heart ache. I reached out to gently ruffle her hair. In my heart, I prayed that Harold wouldn't let us down again this time.

The other kids' parents had already started arriving one after another.

Yvette gripped the corner of my shirt tightly, her eyes fixing longingly on the stairs. Yet, Harold was nowhere to be seen.

When her homeroom teacher, Laura Anderson, came over for the third time to ask, "Yvette's dad still isn't here?" Yvette could no longer hold back her tears.

Gripping my shirt, she looked up with a pale face and asked, "Mommy, is it because Daddy doesn't like me that he doesn't want to come to my parent-teacher meeting?"

I held her tightly in my arms. "No, this has nothing to do with you. It's his fault."

Then I stood up and turned to Laura. "Sorry for keeping you and the other parents waiting. I'll attend the meeting alone."

Yvette was always well-behaved and did well in school. The teachers adored her, so they didn't say much.

Just as the parent-teacher meeting ended, I received a call from Harold, and anger surged in me instantly.

The timing couldn't be better. I was about to confront him about why he'd lied to Yvette if he couldn't attend the meeting.

But before I could say a word, his furious voice blasted through the receiver. "Where's Yvette right now? Tell her to get over here and apologize to Jacob immediately! Because of that voice message she sent, Jacob had an episode. He's now hospitalized!"

I froze for a moment before I realized what voice message Harold was talking about. A chill ran straight through me.

Ever since Susan and Jacob entered the picture, Harold had forbidden Yvette from calling him "Daddy".

All because Jacob suffered from severe depression, and since Susan was divorced, just hearing the word "Daddy" would supposedly trigger him.

Using that so-called depression as an excuse, Harold had abandoned Yvette and me time and time again.

Yvette gradually came to understand that whenever she called him "Daddy", he would get angry and stop coming home. Hence, she stopped saying it around him and only used it quietly when she was alone with me.

Even this time, it was just a voice message sent over the phone. If Harold hadn't let Jacob play with his phone, how would he have even heard that message and had an episode?

Looking over at Yvette, who wasn't far away, I forced down the anger rising in my chest. "This isn't Yvette's fault. She's not going to apologize. The one who should be apologizing is you, Harold Jefferson!"

With that, I hung up without waiting for his response.

I took a moment to compose myself, then walked over to Yvette. "You did really well in your exam. I'm going to reward you. Tell me what you want. A new toy? A fancy meal?"

But Yvette shook her head. She reached out and held my hand. "I just want you to stay with me forever."

My eyes stung. My voice was hoarse as I replied, "Okay. I'll stay with you forever."

As I held Yvette in my arms, the thought of leaving had never felt so clear.

In the end, I took Yvette out for a scrumptious meal and bought her her favorite dress and some toys.

I thought she could take it easy for once since it was Friday, but she still insisted on finishing her homework.

She had always been sensible, knowing that both Harold and I were busy with work. She never once made me worry about her studies.

After Yvette fell asleep, I was about to head to bed myself when I heard some noise outside.

When I went to check, I saw Harold. He was holding Jacob in his arms.

Behind Harold, Susan smiled at me. "Sorry to bother you."

I froze in place. The cold night breeze swept through the living room, chilling me to the bone. "Why are you bringing them back here?"

The words came out through gritted teeth. They pushed us out everywhere else, and now they wanted to invade the only space Yvette and I had left?

At first, Harold avoided my gaze, but after hearing my question, he frowned and suddenly acted self-righteously. "Jacob's condition is unstable, so he needs me around.

"It'd be inconvenient if I stayed at Susan's place. You'd become suspicious again if you found out, so I had no choice but to bring them here. This way, with everything right under your nose, you won't have anything to worry about, right?"

I was stunned by his twisted logic and was just about to speak when a soft, sleepy voice came from behind me. "What's going on, Mommy…"

I turned around and saw Yvette, still half-asleep, standing in the doorway and rubbing her eyes.

But the moment she saw Harold, her face lit up with joy. She was just about to call out to Harold.

Then she noticed Jacob in his arms, and the light in her eyes dimmed instantly. She was disappointed.

However, Harold remained completely oblivious. In fact, when he saw Yvette, he instructed sternly, "Yvette, good that you're awake. Come over and apologize to Jacob. He ended up like this because of you."

To Yvette, those words only deepened her guilt. She looked completely lost. "I…"

I stepped in front of her coldly. "Harold, I told you. Yvette did nothing wrong. You're the one at fault here."

Harold frowned, but then noticed the shopping bags on the living room table. They were gifts I had bought for Yvette that day.

His face darkened as if he'd caught us red-handed. "Yvette, what have I taught you? You did something wrong and still got all these gifts? Are you celebrating what happened?"