Chapter 2

After hanging up the phone, I started packing. Truth be told, there was barely anything to pack. In this house, the things that truly belonged to Harper and me were pitifully few.

The next day, I went to pick Harper up from school. From a distance, I recognized Caelen's car.

In seven years, he had never picked up his daughter a single time.

Every time I pleaded with him, all I got were his impatient brush-offs: "Does it really take two people to pick up a kid?" or "I'm stuck in a meeting, just take a cab."

Yet right now, his car was parked at the school gates, sparking a ridiculous glimmer of hope in my chest—had he finally remembered his daughter?

Just as I was about to step forward, I froze.

"Uncle Caelen!" Accompanied by a childish cheer, Leo broke free from Seraphina's hand and threw himself at Caelen.

The man who considered picking up his kid a hassle, who refused to ever hold Harper, immediately stepped forward to meet him.

Dotingly, he scooped Leo up into his arms: "How was your first day at the new school?"

Seraphina naturally leaned in closer to his side. The three of them exchanged smiles, looking exactly like a genuinely happy family of three.

My nails dug sharply into my palms. Trembling, I called out to him: "Caelen."

His hand froze on the car door handle. When he turned and saw me, a flash of panic crossed his face, but it was swiftly covered up by cold indifference.

"You're... not here to pick up Harper?" I stared at him.

"No," he answered bluntly. "Leo just transferred. I specifically came to pick him up to celebrate his first successful day."

He wouldn't spare a single minute for his own biological daughter, yet he was willing to scrap his entire schedule for another man's son.

Leaning out from the passenger seat, Seraphina looked me up and down, taking in my faded, washed-out clothes.

She gave a scoffing smile: "Elara, you maids sure work hard. Caelen, since we ran into them, why don't we give them a ride out of convenience?"

"No need," Caelen rejected it without even turning his head. "Leo is tired from his first day of school; too many people will upset him. Besides, we're heading to the amusement park. It's out of the way. Elara, just take the kid on the bus."

Just as he finished speaking, Harper ran out wearing her backpack.

Spotting her father's car, her eyes lit up. She happily yelled "Daddy!" and ran toward us.

But when she clearly saw Seraphina and Leo in the car, along with Caelen's icy expression, she stopped dead in her tracks.

I quickly walked over, wanting to shield her.

Harper looked at the "family" inside the car, then looked at my reddened eyes. Silently, she took a step back.

"It's okay. I don't want to ride in this car anyway." Her maturity was absolutely heartbreaking. "Mommy is here to pick me up."

Without giving Caelen another glance, she grabbed my hand. Her fingertips were ice-cold: "Mommy, let's go take the bus."

Fighting back my tears, I scooped up my daughter and strode away.

Countdown to leaving Caelen: Day One.

The next day was Harper's parent-teacher conference.

Before leaving the house, Caelen made a rare promise to Harper: "Daddy will definitely be there on time today to see our little genius."

My daughter's eyes instantly lit up. Seeing the sheer anticipation in her gaze, I could only force a smile and agree with him.

But as the conference was about to start, Caelen finally appeared—only to walk straight past us.

He sat directly in the seat labeled 'Leo's Parent', shoulder-to-shoulder with Seraphina.

Taking advantage of Seraphina momentarily leaving her seat, I hurried over and confronted him: "You promised Harper you would be here for her conference today!"

"What are you yelling for?" Caelen scolded in a hushed voice. "Leo grew up without a father. I have to attend as his parent to support him and have his back. Harper has you, that's enough. She's mature; she won't mind."

She won't mind.

Looking over at the front row, where Harper was eagerly searching the crowd for her father, my tears finally crashed down.

The final segment was for parents to go on stage and take photos with their children.

When it was Harper's turn, the homeroom teacher had nothing but high praise for her.

Amid thunderous applause, Harper stood on stage, looking eagerly at Caelen, desperately craving a single look of approval from her father.

But Caelen didn't even look up. He was turned to the side, attentively using a tissue to wipe Leo's collar.

When the teacher invited the parents onto the stage, I was just about to stand up, but Caelen moved faster than anyone.

He didn't even wait for Leo's name to be called before eagerly taking the boy's hand and walking up to the stage.

Seraphina followed. The three of them stood tightly pressed together, looking like a flawless, perfect family portrait.

Meanwhile, Harper, standing merely feet away, had been pushed to the side. All alone, she watched the father she loved so deeply holding another child.

"Harper, where is your daddy?" the homeroom teacher asked softly, looking a bit awkward.

Harper remained silent for a long time. Then, she clenched her tiny fists, her voice devastatingly calm: "My daddy is abroad."

Caelen's head whipped around, staring at her in sheer disbelief.

He reflexively tried to set Leo down, but the boy clamped his arms tightly around him and started to throw a fuss.

Caelen's hands froze in mid-air. Caught in a dilemma, he ultimately yielded to instinct and patted Leo's back to soothe him, unable to take a single step toward his own biological daughter.

Harper watched quietly. Then, she took a step backward, completely removing herself from the frame of that family of three.

She ran off the stage and buried herself in my chest, her tiny body trembling uncontrollably.

"Mommy, let's go home."

I hugged her tightly and carried her quickly out of the auditorium.

Caelen. Countdown to Harper and me leaving you: Day Two.