Chapter 2
In the thundering sounds of fireworks, Kimmy threw away the forgiveness coupon in her hand and tossed the remaining two coupons into the trash can.
"I never want to forgive Uncle Alex again," she said this and ran back to her room.
When I went to her room, she had already curled up on her little bed and fallen asleep. Her cheeks were streaked with tears, and she clutched a photo of our family at the amusement park tightly in her arms.
Kimmy treasured this photo and would take it out to look at from time to time. It was the only picture we had of our family of three at an amusement park.
After Alexander bought the entire amusement park as a birthday gift for Pearl because she said she liked it, Kimmy never mentioned wanting to go to an amusement park again. I put the photo away for her, wiped the tears from her face, and let her rest.
The next morning, I contacted a divorce lawyer and asked her to help me draft a divorce agreement. However, after I finished the phone call, Kimmy peeked her head out from behind the door. I waved her over, and she immediately walked in and hugged my legs.
Fighting back the bitterness in my heart, I asked her, "Sweetheart, if Mom divorces Uncle Alex, would you rather stay with Uncle Alex or come with Mom?"
Kimmy's arms around me stiffened. She lowered her head, her voice carrying tears and reluctance.
"Do we really have to leave? Mom, Uncle Alex promised that once I turn seven, he'll let me call him Dad.
"Can we wait a little longer? Can we give him one more chance?"
Kimmy's words made my chest tighten, and I almost started crying.
During our years of marriage, Alexander had refused to make our relationship public to avoid Charlotte's misunderstanding. But even worse, our daughter wasn't allowed to call him Dad from the day she was born.
I remembered one time when Kimmy gathered the courage to call him Dad. He flew into a rage right there and made her kneel at the front door, forcing her to shout "Uncle Alex" three thousand times until her voice was nearly gone.
Since then, whether at home or outside, Kimmy never dared call him Dad again, only Uncle Alex.
After saying this, she picked up the forgiveness coupons she had thrown in the trash yesterday and said, "Mom, look, there's still one coupon left. Let's give him one more chance."
Kimmy's eyes, red and swollen from crying, were full of determination. I ruffled her hair and sighed, agreeing to her request.
Alexander hadn't come home since that day.
Kimmy brought me an invitation, her eyes hopeful as she said, "Mom, the teacher said both parents need to attend the parent-teacher conference at school. Can you and Uncle Alex come together? I promised my classmates they could meet my dad."
I held the invitation with some doubt. Looking at the expectation in Kimmy's eyes, I couldn't bear to disappoint her.
But I wasn't sure if Alexander would actually go. After all, in our five years of marriage, he had never attended any of Kimmy's parent-teacher conferences.
Before promising Kimmy, I called Alexander to confirm. However, a young voice answered the phone.
"Hello, are you looking for Daddy Alexander? He's taking a shower and will be out soon."
My nails dug into my palm to keep from lashing out. I coldly hung up the phone.
Just as I was about to tell Kimmy that Alexander couldn't make it, he called back. "Isabella, Pearl's young and can't tell the difference between Uncle Alex and Daddy, so she called me the wrong thing.
"Just don't misunderstand. Kimmy's my only precious daughter."
He sounded rather pathetic trying to explain himself in such a panic, but I no longer wanted to pursue these matters.
Chapter 3
Fidgeting with the last remaining forgiveness coupon in my hand, I asked him coldly, "Are you coming to Kimmy's parent-teacher conference?"
Alexander was about to speak, but I cut him off. "You've already missed her birthday. Are you going to miss her parent-teacher conference too?"
Alexander paused, and after a long while, he said, "I'll go. I'll definitely go this time. Is Kimmy mad at me? Can you help me explain..."
I had no interest in his long explanations. After getting a definite answer, I ended the call. Kimmy, who was beside me, saw me nod and jumped up happily.
Even though there were still several days until the parent-teacher conference, she had already started preparing what clothes she would wear.
On the day of the parent-teacher conference, Kimmy got up early and asked me to braid her hair nicely. She also put on her favorite outfit. Her eyes were bright and sparkling, and she was full of smiles.
Looking at her so full of anticipation, I felt a knot of anxiety forming in my chest. I took out my phone and texted Alexander.
"Alexander, don't forget you promised to attend Kimmy's parent-teacher conference today."
Soon, Alexander sent back a voice message. "You and Kimmy go ahead. I'll be there soon."
In the background, I could hear Pearl calling Alexander "Daddy" and Charlotte "Mommy". Sure enough, he was once again deceiving us for Charlotte and her daughter. All that talk about working overtime at the company was just an excuse to spend time with those two.
If this were before, I would have definitely fought with him and made a scene. But now, I only reminded him coldly, "If you disappoint Kimmy again this time, she won't forgive you anymore."
After saying that, I drove with my daughter to her school without waiting for his reply. The parent-teacher conference was about to start, but Alexander still hadn't arrived. Kimmy kept looking toward the door, hoping her dad would walk through it any second.
Watching Kimmy stare at the door like that, I texted Alexander to urge him to come quickly. He told me there was a sudden emergency at the company and that he couldn't attend the conference.
I frowned, trying to figure out how to explain this to Kimmy without hurting her, when I saw her looking toward the classroom door. Her face had turned deathly pale.
Following her gaze, I saw Alexander, who had said he was too busy to come to the parent-teacher conference, striding into the classroom.
Initially, thinking he was planning to surprise Kimmy, my furrowed brow relaxed. I was about to wave him over when I saw Charlotte tightly holding his arm beside him, while he held Charlotte's daughter Pearl closely in his arms. The three of them looked like an intimate family.
My raised arm suddenly stiffened and dropped. Alexander didn't see me and Kimmy.
He sat down naturally with Pearl in his arms and Charlotte beside him in the seats meant for Pearl's parents. I quickly looked at my daughter, and she was keeping her head down tightly.
And on the previously dry desk, there was now a small puddle of water. I put my arm around her, about to comfort her, when several little boys suddenly appeared beside her.
They surrounded Kimmy and said, "Kimberly Morrison, didn't you say you'd bring your dad today? Where's your dad? I think you were just lying. So, you're just a bastard with no father!"
"Kimberly, you're such a liar!"
Kimmy kept her head down, her ears turning bright red. She suddenly lifted her head, revealing a pair of red, swollen eyes, and shouted, "I do have a dad! You're the bastard with no dad!"
Chapter 4
After saying this, Kimmy pointed her finger forcefully toward Alexander and shouted with all her might, "Uncle Alex over there is my dad!"
Kimmy's words caused an instant uproar in the classroom. The other parents' eyes kept darting between me, Charlotte, and Alexander. The classroom was suddenly filled with all kinds of ridiculous speculations.
Seeing Kimmy's and Alexander's strikingly similar faces, everyone began to guess that Charlotte and Pearl were the mistress and illegitimate daughter. And today I caught them red-handed.
As the discussions grew louder and louder, Pearl immediately began to tear up and said, "This is my daddy, not yours!
"Kimberly, it's bad enough that you bully me at school every day, but this is my daddy, not yours!"
I was about to speak when Kimmy grabbed tightly onto the corner of my shirt. As her mother, I knew that she didn't want me to speak. Her tear-filled eyes stared intently at Alexander.
However, at that moment, Alexander stood unhesitatingly on Pearl's side. Acting as if he had never known Kimmy, his voice was stern and reproachful.
"Whose child are you? How can you bully other kids? Come over here and apologize to Pearl!"
With these words, he immediately distanced himself from Kimmy and me. He also completely cleared Charlotte and Pearl of the accusations of being a mistress and an illegitimate daughter.
Hearing Alexander's words, I was instantly furious and wanted to confront him. However, Kimmy suddenly spoke up, her voice tearful and small. "I'm sorry, Uncle Alex."
Then she threw herself into my arms and said, "Mom, I want to go home. Can you take me home?"
Kimmy's condition made me unable to care about anything else. I held her and left that place that made her so uncomfortable.
On the way back, Kimmy threw the last forgiveness coupon out the car window. That green forgiveness coupon was swept up by the wind and disappeared completely.
That night, I packed all of my belongings and Kimmy's. I then destroyed what we couldn't take. Until every last trace of us had completely vanished from that house.
I placed the divorce papers and the now-empty forgiveness coupon box on the living room table. Then, taking Kimmy's hand, I boarded a flight abroad.
Meanwhile, Alexander, who was playing family games with Charlotte and Pearl, suddenly felt an inexplicable pang of dread in his heart.
Alexander clutched his chest. Looking at the bright smiles of the mother and daughter in front of him, his mind suddenly flashed to the image of me holding Kimmy as we left the parent-teacher conference.
The look in our eyes was identically calm, as still as stagnant water. It was clearly the look of hearts that had died.
Alexander suddenly felt panic rising in his heart. He pushed aside Charlotte and Pearl, who were in his way, and ran home with long strides.
Alexander frantically unlocked the door with his key, shouting our names. He searched from the first floor to the second floor but couldn't find any trace of us.
He walked downstairs dejectedly and suddenly noticed the documents and forgiveness coupon box on the living room table that he had overlooked earlier. With trembling hands, he opened the box. What had once been a full box was now completely empty.
And underneath the box were the divorce papers, already signed.
Alexander's mind went blank. He took out his phone and instinctively called me frantically, but no one ever answered.
His assistant, Lucas Parker, who had rushed over at some point, grabbed Alexander. His face was anxious and sorrowful as he said, "Mr. Morrison, Mrs. Morrison and Miss Kimberly's flight this morning has crashed..."