Chapter 4

I dragged myself to bed.

As soon as I closed my eyes, the words "Mom disappear" flashed across my mind.

To be honest, I had never truly lost control in front of Oliver.

In fact, I had done everything possible to avoid conflict, going as far as humiliating myself to keep Emmanuel happy.

I’d begged him to come home, begged him to hold his own son.

But I couldn’t sleep.

The phone on my nightstand lit up. It was a message from Serena Cortez, my neighbor.

“I heard Emmanuel storm out again. Did you guys fight? Are you okay?”

I had met Serena through selling DIY projects on Craigslist. At the time, Emmanuel had cut off my allowance to force me to apologize during one of his silent treatments.

Desperate for money, I had taken up whatever odd jobs I could find. That’s how we discovered we were neighbors.

She had even bought some of my crafts, supporting my little side business and checking in on me.

I heard Oliver’s door close behind me, so I replied:

“Thanks, Serena. I’m okay.”

The next morning, I woke up feeling drained, my eyes puffy and swollen.

Emmanuel came home, the scent of sandalwood now mixed with alcohol.

He glanced at me, his eyes barely resting on my face before turning away.

This time, he wasn’t silent. He frowned, heading to the bathroom, muttering under his breath.

"Don’t know who you’re trying to scare, looking like that."

I knew he was waiting for me to react, to lose it and scream so he could leave again.

But I was too tired. I stayed quiet.

He looked at me, surprised. Something flickered in his eyes.

Then he walked into Oliver’s room with a cheerful tone.

“Come on, buddy. Daddy’s taking you to school today.”

Two completely different attitudes, like two different people.

They left the house hand in hand, laughing and talking.

No one spared me a second glance.

Like two knives piercing straight into my heart.