Chloe’s eyes were red and swollen as she shouted, “Daddy and that lady have nothing going on! You’re just being petty! You just want to get me a new Daddy!”
“Anything else?” My voice was so cold that I barely recognized it.
Chloe never saw me like this before. She froze, momentarily forgetting to cry, and obediently answered my question. “Aunt Amelia asked me if Ms. Thompson is pretty. She asked if I’d want Ms. Thompson to be my mommy.”
My nails nearly dug into my palms. “Chloe, when did you see Ms. Thompson?”
“I’ve seen her a lot. Sometimes, when Daddy picks me up, she’s in the car. She would ask if it’s okay for her to go home with Daddy. I said yes.”
“When your aunt asked if you wanted Ms. Thompson to be your mommy, was Daddy there?”
“Yes,”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing. He didn’t say anything.”
I closed my eyes and let the rage coursing through me gradually calm down. “Chloe, if your daddy and I separate, who would you choose?”
Big teardrops started falling as Chloe cried, “Mommy, you’re not allowed to leave Daddy. If you don’t want him, I’ll choose him. I won’t choose you!”
That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. I didn’t sleep at all.
The next morning, I called Aiden. “Chloe misses you. Come home.”
He didn’t respond, and I didn’t say anything, either. I knew he would say yes.
Mr. Holmes already spoke with him. His misconduct wasn’t deemed severe, and considering his exceptional research abilities and impressive achievements, as long as he could properly handle his family issues, all disciplinary actions against him could be lifted.
“I’ll come back for Chloe, but on one condition.” His voice was cold, laced with exhaustion.
I could tell he was having a rough time. “You still want me to apologize to Skyla?”
He was silent for a moment. “Lily, you’ve made your point. For the sake of our daughter and the ten years we’ve ⚫ been together, let’s end this here. From now on, don’t ever bring this up again. Don’t mention Skyla’s name.”
I agreed.
Aiden moved back in.
