Chapter 4

That evening, Ethan actually came home early.

Lily was playing with blocks in the living room. When she saw him walk in, her eyes lit up instantly, but she was too afraid to move.

Ethan glanced at her, said nothing, and walked straight toward his bedroom.

Lily lowered her head and went back to her blocks.

Standing at the kitchen door, I watched this scene, a heavy lump forming in my throat.

During dinner, Ethan’s phone rang.

"Claire? Okay, I'll be right over."

He put down his fork and stood up to leave.

Lily finally couldn't help herself. "Da—" she called out softly.

Ethan stopped in his tracks. He turned around, his eyes freezing cold. "How many times have I told you not to call me that?"

Lily's face drained of color.

She opened her mouth, her voice barely a whisper. "Mr. Ethan... are you going out?"

"Yes."

Ethan turned and left.

The moment the door slammed shut, Lily's tears fell.

But she didn't make a sound. She just kept her head down, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

Looking at her, the thread that had held me together for three years finally snapped.

I walked over and knelt before her. "Lily, Mommy wants to ask you something."

Lily looked up, her eyes red.

"If Mommy takes you to a place far away, a place without Daddy, would you want to go?"

Lily blinked in confusion.

After a long silence, she whispered, "Will Daddy come look for us?"

I paused. "No."

Lily looked down, thinking for a long time.

Then she looked up and wrapped her arms around my neck. "Wherever Mommy goes, Lily goes."

At that moment, my mind was made up.

Over the next few days, I began making quiet preparations.

I resigned from my chauffeur job, sold the car I had driven for three years, and arranged for an apartment and school in a quiet coastal town in Nova Scotia.

Every day when I picked Lily up, I would ask her, "Lily, do you really want to leave with Mommy?"

And every time, Lily would nod. "Yes."

But at night, before sleeping, I still saw her hugging that cheap doll, whispering, "Goodbye, Daddy."

On the fifth night, Ethan called me.

"Tomorrow is the weekend. Take Lily to the mall and buy her some clothes."

I was stunned.

In three years, this was the first time he had ever offered to buy Lily anything.

"Okay."

The next day, the three of us appeared at the mall.

Ethan walked ahead, while Lily and I followed behind.

Lily held my hand tightly, but her eyes never left Ethan’s back.

Passing the children's clothing section, Ethan stopped and picked out a few outfits randomly. "Try these on."

Lily looked overwhelmed by the sudden attention. She took the clothes carefully and whispered, "Thank you, Mr. Ethan."

Ethan frowned but said nothing.

While trying on the clothes, Lily peeked her head out of the fitting room. "Mommy, does this look pretty?"

I smiled and nodded. "Very pretty."

Lily then looked at Ethan. "Mr. Ethan, does it look good?"

Ethan was looking at his phone and didn't even raise his head. "Yeah."

The smile on Lily's face faded a bit, but she was still happy.

At the checkout, the cashier smiled at Lily. "Your daddy is so sweet to you, little girl."

Lily froze, then lowered her head, remaining silent.

Ethan swiped his card with a blank expression.

As we walked out of the mall, Ethan’s phone rang again.

"Claire? Okay, I'll be there right now."

He hung up and turned to me. "Take a cab back yourself. I have things to handle."

Then, he walked away without a single backward glance.

Lily stood frozen in the crowd, watching his figure disappear into the sea of people.

After a long time, she looked up at me. "Mommy, does Daddy not want us anymore?"

I knelt down and scooped her into my arms. "It's not that he doesn't want us, sweetie. It's just that Daddy has his own life."

Lily buried her head in my shoulder and said nothing.

But I felt her hot tears soaking into my neck.

### 第四章