Chapter 2

2

Chloe pouted, looking a bit upset, but she whispered to herself. "It's okay. Daddy must be really tired and hasn't had enough rest yet."

My poor baby. She was so young that I hadn't even taught her what life and death meant.

In her mind, she just thought her daddy was having a long nap. She expected me to wake up eventually.

She had no idea that I could no longer walk the path of life with her. When Quinn left, I had hoped she would never come back.

But now, I didn't care about her cheating anymore. I didn't care about Xavier or his son mocking me.

She could even scatter my ashes to the wind for all I cared. I just needed her to come home.

Our daughter was only five. she couldn't feed herself or stay alone for this long.

I stayed by Chloe's side from morning until dark, but Quinn never showed up. Chloe's stomach began to growl loudly.

She crawled back onto my cold body. "Daddy, why aren't you awake yet? Chloe is hungry. I want the pancakes you make."

Quinn was pampered and never learned how to cook. When I was busy working, I begged her to look after Chloe.

But she just bought bags of junk food for a toddler who had barely started on solid meals. Chloe's stomach couldn't handle it, and she often ended up with high fevers.

That was the first time I ever yelled at Quinn. I could handle whatever she did to me, but the child was innocent.

Even a stepmother would have had more heart than to watch a child suffer like that. From then on, I took Chloe everywhere, even to my office.

I kept a stroller and toys in my workspace just so I could see her sleeping safely near me. To make sure she stayed healthy, I stopped keeping instant snacks in the house.

The kitchen was only filled with fresh ingredients that needed cooking. Now, I regretted that decision more than anything.

If I had known my time was so short, I would have prepared better. Time ticked away, and I couldn't stand seeing her so miserable.

I tried to leave the house. I had to find Quinn, even if it meant my soul would shatter into pieces.

I didn't know which hotel they were at, but I knew where Xavier lived. I had seen his address on Quinn's GPS dozens of times.

The woman who claimed she was always working late was currently curled up on Xavier's sofa. She was playing video games with his son.

When the game ended, Quinn let the boy win on purpose. The boy, Rhett, jumped up and hugged her.

"Quinn, I wish you were my mommy," he said. Xavier fed Quinn a piece of sliced watermelon and stroked her hair.

His eyes were full of a tenderness I had never seen. He pretended to scold the boy. "Rhett, don't say that. You have a mother, it's just my bad luck that she left us."

Quinn looked at Xavier with such deep sympathy. It was a look neither Chloe nor I had ever received.

She pulled Rhett into her lap. "It's okay. A mother's love is important for a child. Rhett, you can call me whatever you want. I already think of you as my own."

After Chloe was born, Quinn told me she trusted me to raise her alone. She rarely even showed up for parent-child events at school.

I always made excuses for her. I told Chloe that Mommy wasn't ignoring her, she was just very busy.

I carried the burden so they could have a relationship. I never imagined she was playing house and being a "Mommy" to someone else's kid.

Xavier looked shy as he asked, "Won't Caleb be mad if he hears that?" Quinn's face immediately turned cold at the mention of my name.

"Don't worry about him. He was picking fights before I left. He used to be normal, but now he's always on edge." Xavier smiled brightly when he heard that.