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"Sophia, he is your father. I don't expect you to love him, but I don't want you to grow up hating him either."
Her reply was quiet and devoid of emotion.
"Mommy, I don't have a father. He said it himself. He's Lucas's father."
I felt the crisp edges of the divorce papers in my purse.
I had already booked two tickets to San Francisco tonight.
A text from Liam had arrived ten minutes earlier.
"Emma, I'm sorry. But Lucas comes from a single-parent family. In that situation, I had to lie. I'll explain everything to the teacher tomorrow."
"I won't let our daughter be wronged."
It was the first time he had ever apologized to me for something involving Isabella.
But it was too late.
I didn't need it.
And neither did Sophia.
One last trip back to the house to grab our passports and some clothes, and we could leave this city, and Liam? Behind for good.
I thought the house would be empty.
But it wasn't.
Lucas was in the living room, playing with Sophia's favorite toys on her special little sofa.
Liam and Isabella were coming out of the kitchen with plates of food. They both froze at the moment when they saw us.
I frowned.
We weren't even divorced yet, and he was already bringing her into our home.
"Isabella felt she needed to apologize to you for what happened today," Liam explained.
"She was afraid you wouldn't think she was sincere, so she insisted on cooking you a meal. It's all your favorite dishes."
I laughed, a cold, sharp sound.
"I wouldn't dare eat anything you two have cooked."
For once, Liam didn't get angry.
He turned to the kids.
"Why don't you two go play in the bedroom? Mommy and Daddy have something to talk about."
The moment the door closed, Isabella approached, positioning herself next to Liam.
"Emma, today was all my fault. I should have corrected Lucas sooner. If you're really upset, I'll take Lucas and leave the city. We'll never bother you and Liam again."
As she spoke, tears started to well up in her eyes.
I remembered the first time I met her.
Her husband had just died.
She had knelt before us, a child in her arms, looking so pitiful and helpless.
Looking back, I think that's when Liam's heart first went out to her.
A beautiful woman, kneeling at his feet, telling him he was her only hope. Who wouldn't be moved?
I smiled and pulled the divorce papers from my purse.
"You don't have to leave. I will." I placed them on the table.
"Liam, let's get a divorce. Then you can be Isabella's wonderful husband and Lucas's wonderful father, openly and honestly."
His face darkened, his eyes unreadable.
"Emma, are you threatening me?"
I nodded. "If that's what you want to call it."
He laughed, a harsh, angry sound.
"Emma, do you really think I wouldn't dare? How many times do I have to tell you? Vance was my best friend. We swore an oath when we were young—if anything happened to one of us, the other would take care of his family. Why do you have to be so petty?"
"You're right. I'm petty," I said, my voice calm.
"You're a big, important man. Don't lower yourself to my level. Just sign the papers."
My indifference seemed to infuriate him more than anything else.
He snatched the papers, signed his name without even reading them, and threw them at my feet.
"There, I signed it. Now what? You think you have the guts to leave?"
I bent down to pick them up. Before I could speak, Lucas came running out of the bedroom, crying.
"Waaah! Daddy, Sophia hit me!"
Ugly red scratches were visible on his cheek.
Liam's glare could have killed me. "Emma, look what your daughter has done!"
Sophia appeared in the doorway. "Mommy, I didn't hit him. He fell."
"Sophia Hayes, now you're lying too!" Liam roared. "Apologize to Lucas, right now!"
Sophia just stared at him, silent.
Lucas started crying even louder. "Daddy, it hurts!"
Liam's voice was cold. "Sophia, I don't like liars. You've disappointed me."
Sophia opened her mouth to protest, but I stopped her.
"Liam, we have security cameras. Let's just see who's lying, shall we?"
Isabella's eyes darted around nervously. "Let's not," she said quickly.
"It's normal for kids to fight. Lucas's the older brother. It's fine."
"It's not fine," I said, my voice hard. "My daughter will not be falsely accused. We are watching the footage."
Seeing my determination, Liam opened the door to the security room.
On the screen, the truth was clear. Lucas had tripped and fallen all by himself.
"Liam, he's just a child," Isabella stammered.
"He was scared, that's why he lied. Maybe Sophia has bullied him before, and that's why he's so afraid of her."
But Liam wasn't listening. His eyes were glued to the top left corner of the screen.
The footage was from a week ago. It showed me, tossing a large trunk into the fireplace, my movements swift and decisive, without a moment's hesitation.
