Chapter 1 Chapter 1

As I walked out of the courthouse on the day of my divorce from Vicente Buckley, the sky threatened to rain. "Patricia." Vicente opened the passenger door of his car. "Let me take you home." Before I could respond, my son, Jamie Buckley, poked his smartwatch through the rear window. "Dad, Kinsley said she would make me nougats tonight. She's already bought groceries and is at our doorstep." Vicente frowned slightly and said, "Go inside." Jamie glared at me before reluctantly getting into the car. "No, thanks," I replied firmly. "I won't interrupt your dinner." Vicente muttered to himself, "We can go to your favorite restaurant tonight." I gently reminded him, "Vicente, we're divorced now." He looked up, his eyes reddening momentarily before regaining composure. "Yeah, but we should part on good terms. Besides, it's been a while since our family of three..." I interrupted him, "That restaurant closed down two months ago. I told you about it." We used to love dining there when we were in college. It was an old restaurant in the area. The owner announced on social media he would sell it two months ago. I mentioned it twice to Vicente, yet he was too busy to go there with me. By the time he was free, the restaurant was shuttered, followed by the end of our nine-year relationship. "Vicente, take good care of Jamie. I won't disturb you anymore," I said before hailing a taxi and leaving Prodale with my few belongings and a broken heart. I discovered Vicente's betrayal after a class reunion. Ironically, his mistress was none other than my college roommate, Kinsley Gilmore. When I arrived home, they had already made love. Vicente was in the shower, while Kinsley was helping Jamie build a Lego pirate ship. When the last piece was in place, Jamie kissed Kinsley on the cheek, dancing with joy. "Kinsley, you're so cool! I love you the most!" Kinsley smiled contentedly, ready to pick Jamie up until she saw me standing there, her arms frozen in mid-air. "Patricia?" she said with a strained smile. "I thought you weren't coming back tonight." I turned to put down my bag and took a deep breath. "I was supposed to play for another day, but I missed Jamie, so I came back." In reality, I was worried about Vicente's ability to care for Jamie alone, so I'd asked Kinsley to help. Little did I know, they were using Jamie as a lookout for their affair. Vicente emerged from the shower, his wet hair disheveled, water droplets trickling down his back onto the towel. He was stunned to see me and picked up a glass of water from the table. "You're back. Did you have fun?" I ignored the impropriety of the way he dressed and replied calmly, "Yes." In a panic, Kinsley kicked over the trash can, revealing used condoms. She blanched and quickly squatted down to clean up the mess. "Patricia, since you're back, I'll leave now. I'll take out the trash for you." Before I could speak, Jamie hugged Kinsley. "Don't go, Kinsley. I want to play with you more."

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Kinsley looked at me and Jamie, awkwardly smiling, "Jamie, your mom is back, so I have to go." Jamie sat on the floor and cried loudly, "Let her go! I want Kinsley to stay. I want Kinsley to be my mom!" Though Jamie was only four and innocent, hearing him say that pained me deeply. Kinsley patted my shoulder. "Kids are like that. Don't take it personally." Vicente picked Jamie up from the floor, saying coldly, "Say that again, and you'll stand outside for an hour." Vicente's words were so stern that Jamie dared not to act up on the ground anymore. Jamie's sobs filled the suddenly quiet living room. Looking at this absurd charade, I thought of "The Emperor's New Clothes". If I didn't speak up, we could continue pretending to be a harmonious family. Vicente's career was getting better and better, and I could continue to be a rich lady of leisure. Kinsley was still my bestie who shared my worries and troubles. Even though Jamie misbehaved, he was still my son who I carried for ten months,

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

That night, Sofia knocked on my door, asking if she could sleep with me. As I tucked her in, I felt her trembling. "What's wrong?" I asked. Sofia peeked out from under the covers, saying in a muffled voice, "I watched the movie you mentioned, and it scared me." I chuckled and then soothed her, "Don't be afraid, Sofia. That's just a movie." From then on, Sofia often called me Mom. Soon, Sofia approached school age. One day, I received a call from her teacher, saying she'd gotten into a fight. On the way, I pondered various possibilities but couldn't fathom why Sofia, a precocious child with exceptional emotional control, had resorted to violence. Since I lived with her, that horror movie incident had been the only time she lost her composure. At other times, she was always calm. I wondered why she fought with others. At the school, the teacher had separated the two children. She explained that a little boy had seen Sofia's smartwatch background and insisted the person on it was

Chapter 4 Chapter 4

I sighed, knowing it wasn't about that. I used to love them and was willing to do those things for them. Now I didn't, so I didn't care if they were willing to do all this for me. When I saw Vicente, he was still on the phone, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingertips, looking extremely tired. In the past, I would wait for him to finish his work before asking for what I needed. But now, I thought of Sofia being hungry alone at home. With that worry in my heart, everything else became inconsequential. "Mr. Buckley," I said, standing in front of Vicente with a polite smile. He froze, said a few words to the person on the other end, and hung up. "What are you doing here?""Huh?" I shrugged. "Isn't it normal for me to return to my hometown after divorce? But why did you put aside your work in Prodale and come to Casterview?" Vicente stumbled over his words, his gaze deepening as he looked at me. I met his gaze boldly. After a moment of tension, Vicente looked away. "He