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Chapter 2

Author: Piglet at Sunrise
My chest tightened. I tucked the blanket around her.

"Right. Just the two of us."

"Great."

She closed her eyes, even smiling faintly.

At eleven that night, my phone screen lit up.

It was a message from Marcus.

"Jacey got laughed at today because she had no dad with her at the amusement park. She cried too hard, so I went over.

"I'll take you and Nora again this weekend.

"Explain it to our daughter for me. She's sensible. She'll understand."

A perfunctory excuse with no sincerity.

He didn't even have the patience to call.

He was always like this, using the lightest tone to demand, as if it were natural, that we step back.

I didn't reply.

Instead, I opened his profile and moved him into a new contact group.

Group name: Three-Day Countdown.

I put down my phone and looked at sleeping Nora.

Beside her bed, I whispered, "There's no need to explain anymore.

"Because my daughter won't need a father again."

The next morning, the sound of the front door opening came from the entryway.

Marcus walked in carrying a box of outrageously expensive imported strawberry macarons.

His face showed the exhaustion of a late night, along with the condescending air of someone who thought, I've come to coax you, so you should be satisfied.

After changing his shoes, he entered the living room.

He set the macarons on the coffee table and tugged at his tie.

I sat on the sofa without even lifting my eyes.

I replied flatly, "It's the change of season. I'm clearing out useless trash."

Marcus didn't ask further.

Instead, he let out a breath of relief.

It was as if the fact that I hadn't made a scene like before meant I had already forgiven his absence yesterday.

Nora had just come out of the bathroom.

When she saw Marcus, her steps instinctively stopped.

Marcus beckoned to her.

He pushed the beautifully packaged dessert to the corner of the table, crouched down, and put on the face of a loving father.

"Nora, come here.

"Daddy was wrong yesterday. Daddy bought you your favorite macarons.

"Tomorrow is your seventh birthday.

"Daddy booked the best ocean-view restaurant in the city to throw you a grand birthday party."

He paused, then added as if it were only natural, "Jacey and Aunt Clara will come celebrate with you too, okay?"

Nora stood where she was.

She didn't move.

Nor did she touch the dessert.

She looked up at me first.

Then she looked timidly at Marcus.

"Mr. Doakes, I'm allergic to strawberries."

The air went dead silent.

The smile on Marcus's face froze.

He looked in disbelief at the box of strawberry macarons, then at Nora.

He had forgotten his own daughter's allergen.

Because Clara's daughter, Jacey, loved strawberries most.

To cover his awkwardness, Marcus coughed and abruptly stood.

"Allergic... Right. Daddy remembered wrong. Tomorrow Daddy will buy you something else."

He didn't dare meet Nora's eyes again.

He changed the subject and walked straight into Nora's room.

"By the way, Jacey has a school play tomorrow.

"Clara said Jacey doesn't have a decent dress."

He rummaged through the closet and took out the hand-embroidered silk princess dress.

It was the seventh-birthday gift Nora's great-grandmother had sewn stitch by stitch before she passed away, even though her eyesight had been failing.

It was Nora's most treasured possession.

Marcus draped the dress over his arm and walked out as if it were perfectly reasonable.

"This dress looks nice. Let Jacey borrow it for a day."

Nora bit her lip hard.

Her eyes turned red at once.

She ran over in small steps, reaching for the dress.

"No...

"Great-Grandma made that for me..."

Marcus frowned, displeasure flashing across his face.

He turned slightly and avoided Nora's hand.

"It's just a dress. Didn't your great-grandmother leave the pattern behind?

"Just have your mom make you a new one.

"Jacey comes from a single-parent home. She's never had a dad--the poor thing.

"You're the big sister. You need to be the bigger person."
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