Chapter 3

Lucy and Idris exchanged smiles as they held Emilia's hand and walked into the kindergarten. They looked just like an ordinary, loving married couple.

I sat in my car, feeling as though every drop of blood in my body had run cold. After a long while, I pushed open the car door and followed them inside.

The parent-teacher meeting was being held in the kindergarten's multipurpose hall. I quietly entered through the back door and found a seat in the most inconspicuous corner.

Lucy and Idris sat together in the center of the front row, chatting and laughing with the other parents around them.

I looked at Lucy's side profile. The woman I had loved for seven years now felt like a complete stranger to me. A sharp pain throbbed in my heart.

Soon, the director of the kindergarten, Poppy Watson, stepped onto the stage with a smile and announced the start of the meeting.

"First, let's give a warm round of applause to welcome the newest addition to our kindergarten, our new art teacher, Mr. Idris Sherman!"

Idris walked onto the stage confidently and said, "Hello, everyone. My name is Idris. I just returned from studying overseas a month ago. I'm honored to be the children's art teacher."

A month ago, huh?

Once again, the timing matched perfectly.

I took out my phone and sent a message to Hazel. "Investigate someone for me. I want everything on Idris Sherman, including all of his immigration and travel records over the past few years. The sooner, the better."

Onstage, Idris continued, "Some of you may have already met me in the group chat yesterday. That's right. Besides being a teacher here, I'm also the father of Emilia Webb from Class One."

He paused, and an apologetic smile appeared on his face before he went on, "I've been overseas until recently, so our nanny has been helping us to take care of my daughter. There are still many things I'm unfamiliar with, so I hope you'll all bear with me."

The parents in the audience immediately responded with excitement. The same parents who had looked down on the young teacher moments earlier had a sudden change of attitude and began flattering him.

"Mr. Sherman, you're too modest. Someone as outstanding as you must have an equally outstanding child."

"Exactly. We'll have to trouble you to look after our kids from now on, Mr. Sherman."

Just then, Lucy stood up with a smile and walked onto the stage as well.

She slipped her arm through his and said to the audience, "My husband is a little shy, so please stop praising him. You're going to embarrass him. I hope my husband can become good friends with all of you."

Emilia also ran onto the stage and wrapped her arms around Idris's leg.

She tilted her little face up and said in her sweet, childish voice, "My daddy is the best daddy in the whole world! He can paint lots and lots of beautiful pictures!"

The family of three looked perfectly happy together.

I sat in the corner, watching the unbearable scene before me and feeling like the joke of the century.

The parents below the stage began chiming in.

"Ms. Webb and Mr. Sherman have such a wonderful relationship. I'm so jealous!"

"Mr. Sherman, why don't you share some parenting tips with us? How did you raise such an outstanding and well-behaved daughter like Emi?"

Idris gave a deliberately modest smile, cleared his throat, and was just about to speak.

But I suddenly stood up and said in an icy voice, "Since when did Emilia get a new father?"