Chapter 3

That evening, Gideon actually brought Lily home.

Lily changed into a pair of pink bunny slippers — the ones Gideon had bought just a few days ago.

When I'd asked him why he bought women's size small slippers, he'd said the supermarket was having a sale and he'd grabbed them randomly.

She walked into the kitchen like she owned the place and pulled fried chicken and sweet sauce from a bag.

"Mason, come wash your hands! Your favorite fried chicken is here!"

She smiled sweetly, but her eyes held a hint of provocation.

"Gideon specifically told me Mason's been craving this, so he asked me to bring some over."

I stood in the entryway, watching her naturally open the dish cabinet and take out plates and utensils.

I suddenly realized Gideon had already given another woman a rehearsal of this home.

At the dinner table, Mason ate with grease all over his mouth, not even glancing at the vegetables I'd made.

"Mom's food has no flavor at all. Lily's food is so much better."

As he gnawed on a chicken leg, he proclaimed loudly.

I frowned, looking at the dipping sauce. "Mason is allergic to peanuts. Does that sauce have peanut pieces in it?"

Lily immediately put down her fork and knife and looked at Gideon with an aggrieved expression.

"Sutton, I checked the ingredient list. There are absolutely no peanuts."

"Are you being too sensitive, or do you think I'd deliberately harm Mason?"

Gideon reached out and ruffled Mason's hair, his tone clearly dissatisfied.

"Sutton Reed, stop being so paranoid all the time."

"It's because you're constantly on edge that you've raised the kid to be so fragile."

"Lily is a professional preschool teacher. Don't you think she knows these things? Stop making mountains out of molehills."

Watching Gideon's self-righteous attitude, watching their "happy family of three"...

I found this meal impossible to swallow.

After dinner, Lily voluntarily took over dishwashing duties.

When I walked into the kitchen to get water, she was rolling up her sleeves, deliberately exposing an old silver bracelet on her wrist.

The bracelet had a distinctive design with a small star charm dangling from it.

It was my wedding anniversary gift from Gideon three years ago.

I'd really liked it at the time and wore it for a long time, only putting it away after the clasp broke.

"That bracelet..." I walked to the kitchen doorway, my voice tight.

Lily continued washing dishes while saying softly:

"Gideon said you don't like these feminine things, that it was just gathering dust in a drawer, so he gave it to me."

Every sentence sounded like an apology, but every word was declaring her claim over this man.

"That's fine. You can wear it..."

I walked out of the kitchen with my water glass. Gideon grabbed my arm and pulled me onto the balcony.

He closed the sliding door, lit a cigarette, and looked at me coldly through the smoke.

"Sutton Reed, I'm warning you — stop throwing divorce around so casually."

"Do you think divorce is some kind of fun game?"

He exhaled a smoke ring and began recounting our three previous remarriages.

"The first time, Mason had a high fever in the middle of the night. You couldn't handle it alone and called me crying, begging me to come back."

"The second time, your mom's high blood pressure sent her to the hospital. She needed someone to run around paying bills. Who did all that?"

"And the third time... You can't leave this home, and you can't leave me."

"Lily is understanding and obedient. She won't threaten your position. You'd better be smart and not make things worse."

Every time I'd softened, every compromise I'd made for the sake of our child and family, had become his ammunition to humiliate me today.

Back in the bedroom, I opened the bottom drawer.

Inside lay three divorce certificates, neatly arranged, along with three remarriage registration photos.

In each photo, Gideon smiled with deep affection.

And I, each time, had foolishly believed he'd truly changed.

But it turned out he'd just grown more certain that I would never leave.

Late that night, I got up for water and passed by the children's room. The door was slightly ajar.

Lily's hushed voice came from inside: "Mason, if Mommy and Daddy really separate, who would you want to stay with?"

I stopped in my tracks and held my breath.

The room fell silent for a long time.

Then I heard the son I'd risked my life to bring into this world say:

"I want to stay with Daddy and Lily."