Chapter 1

My wife, who used to hate stuffed toys, suddenly became obsessed with a cotton doll.

She started calling it her husband and told our daughter that the doll was her only father.

I became the invisible man in my own home.

At our daughter's parent-teacher conference, I finally reached my breaking point and handed my wife the divorce papers.

The crowd around us began to hiss and curse at me.

My wife didn't hesitate; she slapped me right across the face.

"It's just a plushie, for God's sake! Why are you being so dramatic?"

I looked at my daughter, who was clutching that doll and staring at me like I was her worst enemy.

I let out a cold, sharp laugh.

"You're the one who said only this doll is worthy of being your husband and her father. I'm just stepping aside like you wanted."

1

Evelyn Yates's face turned a deep shade of crimson as her temper flared.

"Ethan Hayes, you are being completely unreasonable!"

"You really want a divorce over one little comment I made in passing?"

A comment in passing? I felt a bitter smirk tug at the corner of my mouth.

"Just sign the papers. We can go to the courthouse the moment the cooling-off period is over."

I turned to walk away without another word.

The other parents whispered and exchanged confused looks, unable to fathom why I was acting out.

Before today, Evelyn and I were the couple everyone envied.

No matter how busy we were, we always made sure to pick up our daughter together.

Evelyn gripped the divorce papers, her expression a mix of discomfort and righteous indignation.

She clearly hadn't expected me to humiliate her in front of such a large crowd.

Her best friend, Clara, stepped forward and swung her hand, catching my cheek with a loud crack.

"Everyone plays house with dolls! Is this really worth such a pathetic reaction?"

"Evelyn works her ass off for this family. She literally couldn't stop vomiting when she was pregnant with your child, but she pushed through it."

"You do nothing and reap all the benefits, yet here you are, causing a scene. You're lower than a dog!"

I tried to take a step back to avoid the next blow.

But my daughter, Maya, suddenly rushed forward and clung to my leg, her eyes swimming with tears.

"Daddy, please, I'll be a good girl and listen to everything you say."

"Just stop bullying Mommy. Don't make her cry anymore, okay?"

Maya's grip pinned me in place, and I took another solid slap to the face. My skin burned.

I saw a flash of triumph in my daughter's eyes, and my heart turned to ice. I pushed her away.

"I'm not your father. That cotton doll is."

Maya tumbled to the floor and burst into loud, theatrical wails.

Evelyn immediately scooped her up, looking at me with a gaze full of tragic sorrow.

"Ethan, how could you lay a hand on your own daughter? Where did the gentle, patient man I married go?"

"Is it because your research project is failing? Is that why you're acting like a monster?"

"We're a team. We can fix anything together, so please, stop talking about divorce."

Evelyn's display of grace made the other mothers' hearts bleed for her, and they turned their venom on me.

"Everyone plays with those dolls these days. People treat them like sons and daughters, so why are you being such a jerk?"

"Maya said 'anymore,' didn't she? That means you've been bullying Evelyn behind closed doors for a long time!"

"Think about your child. Kids from broken homes get bullied so easily. How can you be so heartless?"

I clenched my fists, my face a mask of cold indifference.

"Are you going to sign or not?"

"If you won't, I'll see you in court."

Clara was so livid she grabbed a pencil case from a nearby desk and hurled it at my head.

"Using a doll as an excuse to leave? I bet you have a mistress waiting for you!"

"Evelyn was blind to ever fall for a piece of trash like you!"

I was done with the drama.

"Fine. Think I'm cheating if it makes you feel better."