Chapter 3

That evening, Chloe actually brought Liam home.

Liam changed into a pair of dark blue slippers that Chloe had bought just a few days ago.

I had asked her why she bought men's large, and she'd said they were on sale at the supermarket.

He walked into the kitchen as if he owned the place, pulling fried chicken and sweet sauce out of a bag.

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

He smiled brightly, a hint of challenge in his eyes.

"Chloe specifically told me Leo's been craving this lately, so she asked me to bring some."

I stood in the entryway, watching him naturally open the cupboard and take out plates and forks.

I suddenly realized that Chloe had already prepared this home for another man.

At the dinner table, Leo ate, his mouth greasy, not even glancing at the vegetables I'd made.

"Dad's food has no flavor. Mr. Liam's takeout is so much better."

He loudly declared, gnawing on a drumstick.

I frowned, looking at the dipping sauce: "Leo is allergic to peanuts. Is there any peanut in this sauce?"

Liam immediately put down his fork, frowning as he looked at Chloe.

"Ethan, I checked the ingredient list. Absolutely no peanuts."

"Are you being too sensitive, or do you think I would intentionally harm Leo?"

Chloe reached out and ruffled Leo's hair, her tone clearly annoyed.

"Ethan, stop being so dramatic."

"It's because you're so paranoid all the time that you've made the child so spoiled."

"Liam is a professional preschool teacher. Wouldn't he know these things? Stop making such a big deal out of nothing."

Watching Chloe's self-righteous expression, seeing their "happy little family" scene, I found the meal impossible to swallow.

After dinner, Liam voluntarily offered to do the dishes.

When I walked into the kitchen to get water, he had his sleeves rolled up, deliberately exposing an old silver watch on his wrist.

The watch was a distinctive style, with a small star engraved on its face.

It was the wedding anniversary gift Chloe had given me three years ago.

I loved it back then and wore it for a long time, only putting it away when the clasp broke.

"That watch..." I stopped at the kitchen doorway, my voice tight.

Liam continued washing dishes, speaking softly.

"Chloe said you don't like these little things, and it was just gathering dust in a drawer, so she gave it to me."

Every word sounded like an apology, but every syllable declared his claim over her.

"It's fine, you can keep it."

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

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

"Ethan, I'm warning you, don't keep bringing up divorce."

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

She exhaled a smoke ring, then began to list our three previous reconciliations.

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

"The second time, your dad collapsed with high blood pressure and was hospitalized. Who ran around paying bills and dealing with everything?"

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

"Liam is sensible and obedient, he won't threaten your position. You'd better be smart and not mess things up."

Every time I softened, every compromise I made for the child and the family, became her leverage to humiliate me today.

Back in the bedroom, I pulled open the bottom drawer.

Neatly stacked inside were three divorce decrees, and three photos from our reconciliations.

In the photos, Chloe smiled lovingly every time.

And I, every time, foolishly believed she had truly changed for the better.

But it turned out, she was just increasingly convinced that I would never leave.

Late that night, I got up for water. Passing Leo's room, the door was ajar.

Liam's hushed voice came from inside: "Leo, if Mom and Dad really separate, who do you want to live with?"

I stopped, holding my breath.

The room was silent for a long time.

Then, I heard the son I had raised from infancy say:

"I want to be with Mom, and Mr. Liam."