Chapter 4

Leo woke up and saw Ethan.

He flinched, pressing closer to Sarah.

"Mommy, I want to go home."

Sarah stroked his hair. "We will, sweetie. Soon."

She looked at Ethan, her expression unreadable. "He's scared of you."

Ethan shifted, a flicker of something – discomfort? – in his eyes.

"Don't be dramatic, Sarah. Kids get sick. Chase needed help."

He was already rewriting the narrative, minimizing his coercion.

"I did what I had to do for my family."

"Your family?" Sarah's voice was quiet, but edged with steel. "You mean Victoria and Chase."

His words, his casual dismissal of their years of hardship, brought back a wave of self-reproach.

How could she have been so blind?

How could she have devoted herself so completely to a man who saw her as an afterthought, a convenience?

The shame of her own naivety was a bitter pill.

But it was followed by a hardening, a sense of finality.

She had been a fool, but she wouldn't be one any longer.

Ethan left, muttering something about checking on Chase.

Later that week, Sarah saw more online photos.

Ethan, Victoria, and Chase at a zoo, looking like the perfect family.

Ethan was carrying Chase on his shoulders, laughing.

A stark contrast to the rare, strained outings he'd had with Leo.

But this time, Sarah felt a strange detachment.

The pain was still there, a dull ache, but it was overlaid with a cold indifference to Ethan's charade.

He could play happy families with them. It didn't matter anymore.

At the local library, where Sarah had taken Leo for story time, she overheard two women talking.

"Did you see the pictures of Ethan Caldwell and Victoria Vanderbilt? He's so generous with her son. Such a devoted man."

The words were an unintentional jab, highlighting Ethan's hypocrisy, her sacrifices.

Sarah focused on Leo, who was happily turning the pages of a picture book.

Sarah spent the next few days showering Leo with affection.

They went to the cheap local park, had ice cream, read extra bedtime stories.

She tried to fill the gaps Ethan's neglect had left.

But one evening, Leo looked up from his drawing.

"Mommy, will Daddy ever play with me like he plays with Chase?"

His innocent question made her heart ache.

The longing in his voice was clear.

Even after everything, a part of him still yearned for his father.

At a small street fair, a balloon artist, meaning well, handed Leo a balloon animal.

"Here you go, little man! And one for your dad too?" he asked, looking towards a man standing nearby who vaguely resembled Ethan.

Leo's face fell.

"He's not my dad," Leo said, his voice small but firm, loud enough for the nearby man and a few others to hear. "My dad doesn't live with us."

The public correction, the sadness in Leo's eyes, was a fresh stab of pain for Sarah.

The brokenness of their family, laid bare by a child's honesty.

Then, as if summoned by the universe's cruel sense of humor, Ethan, Victoria, and Chase appeared at the street fair.

Victoria looked immaculate, Chase was whining for a giant lollipop.

Ethan saw Sarah and Leo. He hesitated, then approached.

"Sarah. Leo. Fancy meeting you here."

"What do you want, Ethan?" Sarah asked, her voice tight.

"I just thought... maybe the boys could play together for a bit."

"He never wants to play with me," Leo mumbled, loud enough for Ethan to hear.

Sarah put her arm around Leo. "You heard him, Ethan. You're not interested in being his father. So leave us alone."

Ethan started to say something, but Chase, impatient, tugged on Victoria's hand.

"Mommy, I want that!" he yelled, pointing to a large stuffed animal.

Victoria smiled indulgently at Chase, then turned to Ethan.

"Get it for him, darling."

Ethan, ever eager to please Victoria, nodded and went to the game stall.

He spent several minutes, and a good amount of money, trying to win the prize for Chase, patiently encouraging him.

Sarah watched, a cold fury building. The contrast was sickening.

Chase, bored with waiting, suddenly ran off, straight towards a crowded area.

Without looking, he collided hard with a woman carrying a tray of drinks, who then stumbled directly into Sarah and Leo.

Sarah instinctively twisted, shielding Leo with her body.