Chapter 3
+ 5 Points
Chapter 3
“Mommy, please don’t cry. You like the sea, so Daisy will go with you post–hospital, you have my words mommy.”
Daisy, looking helpless, tried hard to comfort
- me.
I touched my face, feeling the cold dampness on my fingertips.
I forced a smile, hoping this would pass.
On the day I was discharged, I took Daisy to finalize the adoption paperwork and then returned to the old house.
The old house was eerily quiet, devoid of life.
1/7
Chapter 3
+ 5 Points
Since Alexander’s mother, who later became my mother–in–law, passed away two years ago, the housekeeper and Aunt Katherine had retired
and returned to their hometown.
We had hired several nannies since, but they all eventually quit.
As Alexander said, no outsider could match my
attentiveness.
He persuaded me to leave my job at the company and become a full–time housewife.
“George is still young, and I’m uneasy having someone else look after him. It’s better if you do it, Joy.”
George, just like his father, was extremely picky.
2/7
Chapter 3
+ 5 Points
Without complete patience, it was impossible to manage him.
“Childhood is fleeting; it’s the perfect time to build a bond, or he’ll grow up distant from you.”
Nevertheless, it was such a pity, that this time Alexander was wrong.
I invested all my time and effort in being there for George, only to be overshadowed by a toy or a compliment from Olivia.
Now, not only would he avoid me but also tended to resent my presence.
While sorting through clothes, my eyes fell on a cracked family photo frame, causing a dull pain in my chest.
3/7
Chapter 3
+ 5 Points
Last week, I made George’s favorite dishes and bought him a cherished toy, eager to mend our strained relationship.
But when I went to pick him up from school in the afternoon, his teacher informed me that George hadn’t come to school and had taken the day off.
Panicked, I desperately get in touch with Alexander forthwith.
“I took him out to play.”
Alexander didn’t mention where or who was with them.
But I hardly needed to suppose, as I stumbled upon another version of the story in Olivia’s
4/7
Chapter 3
+ 5 Points
social media post.
They were wearing matching headbands, standing in front of Disney, merrily posing for the camera.
In that instant, all my worries turned into a funny joke.
I sat alone in the living room until ten at night.
When the father and son finally returned, George’s first reaction upon seeing my weary face was anger, as if my call had ruined their gaiety.
He threw the toy I had bought on the floor and stomped on it.
Still fuming, he smashed the photo frame and
5/7
Chapter 3
+ 5 Points
yelled at me: “You’re a bad mommy! Aunty Olivia isn’t like you, she would love to play with me rather than ruin my good mood. I want her to be my mommy!”
I felt a chill that froze my blood, with the cold sweeping from my head to my toes.
I reached out to explain, but George recoiled in disgust, avoiding my touch.
He ran straight upstairs.
Throughout this, Alexander only said, “Josephine, don’t argue with the child.”
He was always like this, playing the benevolent father.
When it came to raising the child, I was the bad
6/7
Chapter 3
L
cop, and he was the good one.
+ 5 Points
