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."

After that day, James never came home again. It was like Naomi and Celeste had somehow reached a tacit agreement. Neither of them brought him up in their conversation.

As Celeste's birthday drew closer, Naomi helped her prepare invitation cards to hand out at the kindergarten. Celeste happily told her that all the classmates she invited had agreed to come.

Two days before the birthday party, Naomi ran into James and Sophia at the kindergarten.

Liam stood between them, crying with his head down. James and Sophia were comforting him. It turned out that Liam had gotten into trouble, and James had been called in as the parent.

Naomi found the scene ironic. James had never once taken responsibility for Celeste. Yet, he was doing his best to play the role of a good father to someone else's child. It seemed that when one loved another person, they would also love their children unconditionally.

Naomi looked away and turned toward the classroom door just as Celeste walked out.

As she passed by James, Celeste hesitated for a second and politely greeted them. "Mr. James, Ms. Hadley."

James heard her and looked up to glance at her.

"Are you here to pick up your child, Ms. Sloane?" Sophia greeted Naomi warmly.

Naomi nodded and said, "Yeah."

Sophia sighed and lamented, "I envy you, Ms. Sloane. Your daughter is so well-behaved, unlike my son… He's always causing trouble. They're both kids without fathers. How did you raise her so well?"

Naomi stayed silent, but Celeste spoke up first while looking directly at James. "Doesn't he have a dad? Let his dad take better care of him, then," she remarked.

James felt diffident and didn't dare meet Celeste's gaze.

"Please don't say that. James and I are just friends," Sophia said shyly.

Celeste's eyes reddened. She didn't want to hear anymore and quickly said goodbye to them.

"Goodbye, Mr. James. Goodbye, Ms. Hadley." She then led Naomi away briskly.

Naomi could feel James watching her. Even after they had gone far, he was still staring at their retreating backs.

"James Hudson, you have one last chance left," Naomi thought.

That evening, James returned home.

Celeste was feeling dejected. So, Naomi had been keeping her company. They were drawing pictures together.

When they heard the door open, both looked up at the same time.

"Mr. James," Celeste greeted.

"You're back," Naomi said.

They greeted him first. But James merely gave a cold nod and handed a wrapped box to Celeste.

"Is this for me?" Celeste was surprised. This was the second gift she had ever received from him.

"Yes," James replied curtly.

"Thank you, Mr. James." Celeste couldn't hide her excitement and opened the box right away.

Inside was a small toy car built from blocks.

Naomi frowned. She had seen the same gift on Sophia's social media page. It was one of the many presents James had given to Liam.

It turned out that this was something Liam didn't want.

"Teach your child properly and make sure she doesn't speak nonsense again," James scolded Naomi. "And stay away from Sophia."

James had only returned home to issue a warning. He was worried that she might say something she shouldn't to Sophia.

Naomi let out a cold laugh. "Sure."

Noticing that he was still standing in the same spot, she asked dismissively, "Anything else?"

James looked at her. "Transfer Celeste to another kindergarten. She can go anywhere she wants. I'll have someone take care of the admission."

Naomi's heart sank. It seemed that he wanted to sever all ties with them completely.

She looked at Celeste, who had her head down. Soundlessly, her tears fell onto the newly acquired toy car.

"Okay." Naomi knew that there was no point in saying no.

After achieving his goal, James was prepared to leave.

Suddenly, Celeste stood up and ran to him.

Mustering all her courage and with tear stains still fresh on her face, she asked, "Mr. James, the day after tomorrow is my birthday. Can you celebrate it with me? Just this once, please."

Naomi turned her head, unable to bear the sight of the scene before her.

James remained silent as Celeste looked up expectantly, waiting for his answer.