The Day I Went Dark, My Family Broke

On our wedding anniversary night, my husband, Lucian Moore, comes home with a seven-year-old orphan named Chloe Martin.

He even hands her the necklace he bought me for our anniversary and lets her play with it like a toy.

Because of her, my son, Ryan Moore, shouts at me for the first time. "You're a bad woman! I don't want you to be my mommy!"

I watch the three of them sitting together, warm and cozy, and I say nothing. Instead, I buy a ticket to leave the country.

At first, they think I'm just acting out and will come home in a few days.

But when they return from Feanland after celebrating Chloe's birthday, they find out I've joined a ten-year classified research project and will not come back again.

At that moment, they fall apart.

On our wedding anniversary, I prepared a full table of dishes and waited for my husband Lucian Moore to come home.

After a long wait, he finally returned, carrying a frail little girl in his arms. He gave her the anniversary gift he had bought for me and let her play with it like a toy.

Lucian had gone to renew the visa for his passport. When he got home, he carefully helped Chloe Martin through the door.

Our son, Ryan Moore, imitated Lucian, kneeling at Chloe's feet to take off her shoes and smiling up at her. "Chloe, I missed you so much. Can you stay here all the time?"

Seeing the three of them so cozy together felt like a knife to the heart, but I quickly forced my emotions into order and asked calmly, "Should I make a cake? I remember you saying Chloe loves strawberry cake."

Since I had already decided to leave, I figured I might as well share one last dinner with them.

Without waiting for Lucian's answer, I hurried into the kitchen, baked the cake, and brought it to the table.

When it was time to eat, I offered the seat next to Lucian to Chloe and took a place in a far corner.

Lucian froze briefly when he saw who was beside him, but the surprise faded quickly. Soon, he was busy handing Chloe a fork for her cake.

Instead of taking it, Chloe removed the necklace from her neck and tossed it under the table. "Uncle Lucian, I don't like this necklace anymore. I want a Barbie doll."

Lucian only smiled, looking at her with even more affection. "Alright. We'll pick out whatever kind of doll you want tomorrow."

I took a small bite of frosting.

Chloe knew perfectly well that necklace had been Lucian's wedding anniversary gift to me. She'd once said it was pretty, and he had yanked it from my neck and given it to her.

Sensing my gaze, Lucian looked up. The moment his eyes landed on me, whatever warmth they held turned to ice. "What's that look for? It's just a necklace. Do you really have to hold onto it for this long?"

I hadn't said a word. But in Lucian's eyes, whenever something involved Chloe, even a glance from me was wrong.

I lowered my head and quietly ate my cake.

The table returned to their cheerful little trio.

In the middle of enjoying her cake, Chloe spotted the framed wedding photo of Lucian and me taken in Feanland. "Wow! I'm so jealous you got to go somewhere that beautiful. I'll never be able to go in my life."

Lucian chuckled. "Don't say that. Your birthday's next week. We'll go to Feanland together and celebrate for you."

Ryan nodded eagerly. "Yeah, and the kindergarten will be on break. The three of us can go to Feanland!"

Chloe turned to me with a bright smile. "Will you come with us?"

Next week was when I planned to leave. I supposed I should tell Lucian. "No, in a few days I have to..."

"We don't care about your plans." Lucian cut me off coldly.

I didn't even get the chance to tell him I might be gone for years.

After dinner, Lucian wiped frosting from Chloe's mouth and said, "You'll stay here tonight. I'll have Sarah get a guest room ready for you."

Before he could finish, I spoke softly. "No need for that. I'll move out of the master bedroom and let her have it."

Lucian froze, thinking I was just being petty. "Sarah, she's still a child. Why are you jealous of a child?"

Ignoring his startled look, I stayed calm. "I'm not jealous. I'm hardly home anyway. She's young and needs looking after, so let her stay..."

Suddenly, Lucian slammed a plate onto the floor, and the flying shards nicked my ankle.

Chloe burst into tears. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! It's my fault! I made you two fight!"

Lucian turned on me. "What's with your attitude?"

Ryan shot me a glare, hurled a raw egg at me, and stomped his foot. "You're mean! You bullied Chloe! I don't want you to be my mommy anymore!"

Lucian led Chloe into the bedroom without a backward glance, leaving me alone to clean up the mess well into the night.