"Daddy, is Mommy busy again?" Jonathan asked.

I looked at him, my mind going blank. I didn't dare tell him that his mother wasn't busy at all. She was spending time with another child instead.

I couldn't bring myself to say a word. Like so many times before, I simply pulled him into my arms. "It's okay. You still have me. I'll always be with you."

Being a sensible kid, he didn't ask any more questions. However, his eyes slowly reddened.

On the way to school, neither of us mentioned Zoey again. It was as if she had never made that promise in the first place. After all, she had never truly been part of the family.

Zoey had one last chance.

After parking the car, I took Jonathan's hand and walked him into the school. The moment we stepped into the classroom, I stopped.

"Zoey?"

"Mommy?"

Zoey was sitting by the window. At the sound of our voices, she looked over instinctively, a flicker of shock passing through her eyes.

"Why are you here?" she asked.

The surprise in her voice made my steps falter. A bad feeling rose in my chest.

Although Jonathan had been in elementary school for half a year, Zoey didn't even know which classroom he belonged to.

Jonathan didn't hear the tension in her tone. He ran toward her happily and said, "Mommy, you—"

Zoey frowned. "What did you just call me?"

Jonathan stiffened. Then, out of habit, he corrected himself. "Ms. Sutton, you're sitting in the wrong seat. My seat is up front."

His eyes shone with excitement. This was the first time she had ever attended his parent-teacher meeting. It was also the first time she had kept her promise.

But his excitement didn't last long.

The next second, Zoey avoided his gaze and said, "I'm not sitting in the wrong seat. This is my seat."

Jonathan was stunned. He was about to speak when someone suddenly shoved him aside.

"Move! That's my future mommy!"

Instinct took over, and I immediately pulled Jonathan into my arms.

Zoey stood up as well, but when she saw the surprise on Jonathan's face, she hesitated.

She withdrew her hand and shielded the boy behind her. Her voice was stiff when she said, "Steve didn't mean it. I apologize on his behalf."

Both Jonathan and I were taken aback. Not once had she ever shown Jonathan that kind of protectiveness or care.

I straightened and asked calmly, "Who is he?"

Zoey paused. When her eyes met mine, a trace of guilt flashed across her face. "A friend's child."

"Is that so?" I nodded, but I already knew who that child was.

He was the child from Sean's photo; the child Zoey was spending time with.

Sure enough, the next moment, Sean walked in with a bottle of water. He looked surprised when he saw us. "Mr. Lane? Are you here for the parent-teacher meeting too? Where's the child's mother?"

Hearing that, I instinctively looked at Zoey, and she avoided my eyes.

I understood immediately. She was afraid that I'd expose her.

My mind went blank. I felt as if I had returned to the day Sean came back to the country.

That day, the woman who was always so cold drank herself senseless for the first time. It was also the first time she smiled when she heard Jonathan call her "Mommy".

Jonathan and I both thought we were finally going to be a happy family.

But the next second, she murmured Sean's name. That was when I realized she had mistaken me for someone else.

My grip on Jonathan's hand tightened. I was about to speak when Jonathan spoke first.

"My mommy is abroad. She's very busy, and I don't want to bother her."

Those words shocked both Zoey and me.

I lowered my head, hardly believing what I'd just heard. All I saw were Jonathan's reddened eyes. He looked at Zoey and forced a mature smile.

"Ms. Sutton," Jonathan said, "my daddy and I are going to leave."

All my grief lodged tightly in my chest.

Just as I turned to go, Zoey suddenly grabbed my arm. "What did Jon just say?"

She stared at Jonathan in shock, as if seeking confirmation.

Was she stunned because the child she once couldn't get rid of had now learned to keep his distance on his own?

I managed a faint smile, struck by the irony. "He didn't say anything, Ms. Sutton. The parent-teacher meeting is about to start."

I pulled my arm free and led Jonathan to the row in front.

Even after sitting down, I could feel her gaze on my back, but it offered no comfort.

The parent-teacher meeting began on schedule.

I held Jonathan close. For the first time, I wished the teacher's voice would be loud enough to block out the warm chatter of that "family of three" sitting behind us.

As expected, the teacher mentioned Jonathan. He was announced as the class monitor for the semester and invited to give a speech.

Jonathan refused to go on stage.

I knew why.

He didn't want to see Zoey sitting with Sean's child. He didn't want to admit that his own mother, who wouldn't even let him call her "Mommy" in public, had come here for someone else.

After the meeting ended, I took Jonathan to the teacher's office and completed the withdrawal paperwork.

When we walked out of the school gate, we ran into Zoey waiting on the sidewalk. She was holding a stick of cotton candy. It looked like she had been there for a long time.

"What took you so long?" she asked. "Let's go home together."

She then handed the cotton candy to Jonathan.

Going home together had once been what Jonathan and I wanted most. Now, those words only left me feeling bitter.

Jonathan reached out and took the cotton candy. The gloom that had hung over his face all evening finally lifted into a smile.

My heart softened when I saw the hope in his eyes. I was about to agree when Zoey spoke again.

"Sean's child just transferred here. He didn't participate in the previous class monitor selection. Why don't you talk to the homeroom teacher and have Jonathan step down? Give the opportunity to Steve."

Those words sent a chill through both Jonathan and me.

So that was it. Every gift came with strings attached, even a stick of cotton candy.

"Sure, Ms. Sutton," Jonathan said. His eyes were red as he stuffed the cotton candy into his mouth.

A trace of warmth appeared in Zoey's eyes. She was about to take his hand when her phone rang.

It was Sean.

"Zoey, Steve isn't feeling well," he said. "Can you come over now?"

Zoey's expression changed instantly. She turned and got into the car.

As she closed the door, Jonathan suddenly shouted, "Mommy!"

Her hand paused. She leaned out and met his reddened eyes. After a long silence, she said, "Take care."

This time, she didn't make him correct himself. But it was the last time Jonathan would ever call her that.

That night, Jonathan and I packed our luggage and booked our tickets to go abroad.

We didn't mention Zoey again, and the living room light would no longer stay on through the night, waiting for her.

Early the next morning, we went through security and boarded the plane.

Before turning off my phone, I sent Zoey one final message.

"I wish you nothing but happiness."

The next second, the usually silent chat lit up.