Celeste froze. She looked up at James and Liam incredulously.

James picked Liam up, and his eyes were filled with a tenderness Celeste had never seen before. When he noticed Celeste looking at him, his arm jolted slightly as he held Liam, but he showed no other reaction.

Tears welled up in Celeste's eyes. James turned his gaze away to avoid meeting hers.

"Liam, you're being naughty again. You're always asking James to carry you. Come down now," Sophia chided and tried to get Liam to come down.

However, the young boy clung tightly to James' neck.

"No way! I like to be held by Daddy, and Daddy likes holding me too," Liam said. He kissed James' cheek loudly and stated, "I'm hungry. I want cake."

"Alright. We'll get you some cake. James, let's head in." Sophia smiled and followed James inside.

After taking a few steps, she turned back and called out. "Ms. Sloane, come on."

Naomi crouched down to check on Celeste, whose face was covered in tears. She tilted her head up and asked, "Mom, are they the people Mr. James loves?"

At that moment, Naomi could no longer hold back her sorrow. She pulled Celeste into her arms, and they cried together.

The scene was so cruel that Naomi could barely bear it, let alone a child like Celeste.

Naomi didn't answer, but Celeste already knew the truth.

"Mom, I want to take one more look." Celeste wiped away her tears and took Naomi's hand. "I want to see if the people Mr. James likes are nice."

"Can't we just go home, Celeste?" Naomi couldn't bear to let her get hurt again.

Celeste stubbornly shook her head. "I want to go."

"Alright." Naomi held her hand and entered the banquet hall.

The hall was lively, packed with people. James, Sophia, and Liam were at the center of attention.

Naomi and Celeste quietly sat in a corner. All the time, Celeste's gaze never left James. The gentleness and care he showed Liam were everything Celeste had longed for but had never received.

When she saw James feeding Liam fruit himself, she stood up.

"Mom, Mr. James loves them. He looks so happy. Let's go. We shouldn't stick around," Celeste said softly.

Naomi was immensely saddened to hear those words coming from Celeste. The overwhelming misery was so suffocating that it knocked the breath from her lungs.

"Let's go home then," Naomi said.

Celeste nodded. They held hands and walked toward the door.

"Ms. Sloane, please wait." James' assistant, Oliver Brown, intercepted them. "Mr. Hudson said he wants to take Celeste out. Please hand her over to me."

Oliver was the only person in the company who knew about their relationship.

"Mr. James wants to take me out?" Celeste's eyes lit up instantly. She looked past the crowd, searching for James.

Oliver nodded. "Yes, that's what Mr. Hudson said."

At the same time, James messaged Naomi, saying he wanted to take Celeste with him to watch the fireworks. It was the first time he had ever taken the initiative to do anything with Celeste.

Naomi felt uneasy. She didn't want to let Celeste go with James. But upon seeing Celeste's hopeful face, she couldn't bring herself to refuse her daughter.

She reminded, "Celeste, take care of yourself. If anything happens, call me."

Celeste was excited to go with James. She replied, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll behave and make Mr. James like me."

"Okay." Naomi stroked her head, her heart heavy as she quietly sighed at how Celeste still longed for James' love. She glanced in his direction, praying that Celeste wouldn't be disappointed.

And so, Naomi left alone. She had just gotten home when her phone rang. It was Celeste calling her.

"Mom! M-Mr. James left me behind!" Celeste sobbed helplessly.

Naomi's heart sank to her stomach as Celeste continued pitifully, "I'm so scared, Mom…"

"Where are you?" Naomi asked anxiously.

"I… I don't know…" She sniffled.

"Don't be afraid. I'm coming to get you right now. Don't hang up. Talk to me. I'll be there soon," Naomi comforted.

She tracked Celeste's smartwatch location and rushed over in her car. When she found Celeste, the latter was sitting alone by the roadside and covered in a thick layer of snow. She was freezing there!

Naomi couldn't hold back her tears. It felt like all the strength had been drained from her body. She scooped Celeste into her arms.

"Don't be scared, Celeste. I'm here now," Naomi said reassuringly.

"Mom, I was so scared. I'm so cold," Celeste sobbed uncontrollably as she curled up in Naomi's arms.

Her whole body was burning up, and she had already started muttering deliriously before they even got to the hospital.

"Mr. James, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have called you Dad… Please don't leave me… Please don't leave me…"

Naomi's hands trembled, and she was so overcome with grief that she was unable to speak. James had heartlessly left her alone by the roadside because she called him "Dad".

She couldn't believe he had done that. Celeste was only five!

"Don't cry, Celeste. I'll always be with you. I'll never leave you."

By the time Naomi arrived at the hospital, Celeste had already lost consciousness. The doctor scolded Naomi, saying that she was a terrible mother for letting her child end up in such a state.

Naomi didn't defend herself. She blamed herself for what happened to Celeste, too. She had known that James didn't love Celeste, yet she had still let him take her.

So, this was all her fault.

"Dad… I want Dad…" Celeste called out for James as her fever worsened. "Mom, I want Dad to hold me, too. I'll be good."

She kept crying. Her face and hair became sticky with her tears, causing Naomi's heart to ache terribly. Even in that moment, Celeste was still thinking about James.

Naomi clutched her phone and reluctantly called James. Of course, he didn't answer.

She sent him a message. "Celeste is running a high fever. Please come to the hospital to see her."

But even as dawn broke, there was still no reply from James.

Meanwhile, Sophia updated her social media with photos of herself, James, and Liam enjoying the night view together.

This meant that James had left Celeste behind without the slightest hint of remorse or concern.

The last shred of hope Naomi held out for James died completely. To him, Celeste had never mattered. So, she mattered even less.

Naomi stayed by Celeste's side all night.

Finally, Celeste woke up. She said softly, "Mom, I'm sorry for making you worry."

Her thoughtfulness made Naomi feel even more heartbroken. "Silly girl. There's nothing for you to be sorry about," Naomi said, holding back her tears.

If anyone should apologize, it was her. She had failed to let Celeste have her father's love.

"Mom, don't cry. I'm okay now," Celeste comforted her.

"Okay. I won't cry anymore," Naomi said, holding Celeste and feeding her medicine and food.

Celeste stayed in the hospital for three days. On the day she was discharged, James finally replied to Naomi's message.

He wrote, "Are you still at the hospital? I'll come pick you up."

Celeste read the message just as the notification popped up. She smiled brightly and said exuberantly, "Mr. James said he's coming to pick us up!"

The moment she learned that James was coming, she couldn't help but feel a little hopeful again.

Naomi nodded and silently prayed that he wouldn't break his promise. Even if it was just out of guilt for abandoning Celeste, she hoped that he would at least follow through this one time.

As time passed, Celeste's smile began to fade. From morning till noon, she kept watching the door to her hospital room intently.

Naomi glanced at the clock, then at Celeste.

Celeste noticed and said softly, "Mr. James isn't coming, is he? He must have gotten too busy that he had forgotten to pick me up. Let's go, Mom."

She forced a smile, pretending to be okay. Then, she jumped out of bed to tug on Naomi's hand.

Naomi's chest tightened, and she nodded. "Okay. I'll take you home."

They walked out of the hospital room together. When they reached the elevator, they saw James. "It's Dad…" Celeste immediately corrected herself and said, "It's Mr. James. He came to pick us up!"

But in the next moment, Sophia stepped out of the elevator.

Naomi tightened her grip on Celeste's hand, which was beginning to pull away.

James turned and saw them. The moment he did, he frowned slightly, and his expression became uneasy.

"Is Liam alright?" Sophia asked, looking at him.

He shook his head. "He's fine. It's just a scrape."

Then he turned away and didn't look at Naomi or Celeste again.

Naomi understood that James hadn't come to pick them up. He was only there for Sophia and Liam. Even if she and Celeste had been in danger, it wouldn't stir the slightest concern in him.

There were no words to describe the complicated emotions that were coursing through her at that moment.

She looked down and smiled gently at Celeste. "Come on, Celeste."

Celeste smiled back. "Let's go home, Mom."

The ride home was quiet. Celeste stared out the window, sniffling from time to time. When they got back to the villa, she locked herself in her room.

Naomi didn't disturb her. She just stood silently outside to keep her company.

Two hours later, Celeste opened the door and came out of her room. She was holding a teddy bear, and her eyes were all swollen.

The teddy bear was the only gift James had ever given her. Celeste treasured it more than any of her other possessions.

"Mom, I don't want this anymore." Celeste held out the bear, pretending to smile as she pushed it into Naomi's hands. "Mr. James only has two chances left."

"Okay." Naomi didn't know how to comfort her.

"I want to have a birthday party and invite my friends. Can I, Mom?" Celeste asked, looking at Naomi hopefully.

Naturally, Naomi couldn't bring herself to say no. Every year, Celeste celebrated her birthday at home with only her.

James had never shown up, as he had never cared.

Naomi agreed, knowing that Celeste was giving James another chance by doing this.

Celeste kept coughing. Naomi was worried about her health, so she decided to let Celeste take a few days off from kindergarten.

Over the weekend, Naomi brought Celeste to an amusement park. While Celeste played, Naomi sat nearby, looking at potential venues for the party.

Suddenly, she heard Celeste crying.

She looked up and saw Liam trying to snatch something from Celeste. Liam was aggressive and spoiled. He insisted on taking the toy from Celeste's hands. When she wouldn't give it to him, he shoved her hard to the ground.

Naomi rushed over and picked Celeste up. "Apologize!" she demanded, glaring at Liam.

Liam turned his head away and lied, "Why should I apologize? She fell by herself!"

"I saw you push my daughter. You must apologize," Naomi insisted.

Liam looked defiant and ready to argue. But when he saw someone who was approaching from behind them, he suddenly dropped to the floor and burst into loud sobs.

"Liam!" James hurried over to check on him.

He had never before looked at Celeste with such urgency and concern.

Naomi let out a bitter laugh.

Liam clung to James' arm and complained, "Daddy, they bullied me. They stole my toy and hit me."

James' expression darkened in anger. He turned around to confront the party that had offended Liam.

But when he saw that it was Naomi and Celeste, he briefly froze. His gaze instantly shifted from concern to coldness.

"What happened?" he demanded.

"Mr. James, he pushed me," Celeste said earnestly. "Mom and I didn't bully him. Mom just wanted him to say sorry."

She stopped crying when she saw James, hoping to get his attention.

James frowned and said, "I see. Are you hurt?"

"No." Celeste shook her head, smiling slightly, thinking that James was showing some concern. To her disappointment, he merely nodded indifferently and left with Liam.

Celeste's eyes dimmed.

A deep sorrow filled Naomi's heart. James' favoritism toward Liam had gone too far. He didn't have to love them, but Naomi thought that it was unfair of him to keep hurting Celeste.

"Stop right there," Naomi said through gritted teeth, stepping in front of them. "He needs to apologize."

James' expression soured. Her behavior, which he deemed unreasonable, irked him.

He sternly warned, "Don't make a scene. He's just a child."

Naomi's heart sank, but she didn't back down. "Mr. Hudson, a child should still answer for his or her actions. He pushed Celeste, so he should apologize. The store has security cameras. We can take a look at the footage if it's necessary."

It was the first time she had ever gone up against James. He looked at her in disbelief, his irritation deepening.

But Naomi stood firm. Celeste had already endured too much. She had to stand up for her daughter this time.

Even if James didn't care, she did. She wouldn't let him side with someone else's child at Celeste's expense.

"I'll apologize on his behalf," James said coldly when Liam refused to say sorry. "He didn't do it on purpose."

"Why, you…" Naomi felt her blood run cold. Was James seriously protecting another woman's child to such an unreasonable extent?

"It's okay. I forgive you. Let's go, Mom." Celeste tugged at Naomi's hand, forcing a smile. But as she turned around, tears fell silently down her face.

Naomi felt the same piercing pain that Celeste was feeling in her heart. She croaked, "Okay."