I suddenly felt something was wrong. Before I could say anything, the doorbell rang.
There Anthony was. He was standing outside while he was holding two young children.
As soon as they saw Evelyn, they ran to her and shouted, “Mummy! Mummy!”
Evelyn’s expression softened. She quickly took off her apron, hugged the girl and held the boy’s hand.
Anthony smiled and said, “Grandpa and Grandma were really sad to leave.”
“I can buy them more gifts next time,” he added.
Evelyn smiled.
“It’s okay. They’re very understanding.”
Watching them talk and laugh like that, they looked more like a real couple. I just sat on the balcony, feeling like I didn’t belong.
Evelyn then brought them to me and said, “James, this is Anthony. These are Matthew and Fiona.”
She asked the children to call me ‘Daddy’, trying to help me get used to them.
But Matthew stepped back and shouted, “I don’t want to! He’s not my dad! He stole my mom!”
Then he kicked me. It didn’t hurt, but it made me feel humiliated.
Fiona started crying, asking, “Mummy, don’t you love us anymore?”
Evelyn looked lost for a moment.
She knelt and said gently, “Of course I love you. Don’t say that.”
“Then, why do we have to call him Daddy? I don’t want to!” Matthew shouted again.
Evelyn turned to me and yelled, “Can’t you see the children don’t like you? Get out! You’re not welcome here!”
At first, I thought I had misheard. This was my home too. Did she really just tell me to leave?
And for children who had nothing to do with me? The kids stared at me with hate, as if I were the one who broke their family.
Matthew pointed at me and laughed as he shouted, “We’ll kick you out!”
Fiona cheered, “Yay! We won! Mummy and Daddy will be together again!”
Evelyn didn’t even look at me.
She smiled and said, “Yes, the bad guy lost. Justice wins.”
I stood there in silence, trying to understand what had just happened.
Evelyn looked annoyed.
“Why are you still here? Leave already!”
I finally understood that Evelyn really wanted me gone.
I glanced at Anthony. He smirked.
Anger burned in my chest. Ten years of love and effort were destroyed just like that. But I said nothing.
I swallowed my pride and replied, “Okay. I’ll leave.”
Just as I stood up, Matthew kicked me again.
I didn’t look back.
At the door, I heard Evelyn and Anthony talking and laughing together.
“Hurry and clean up. I made soup for you and the kids. Try it,” Evelyn said.
“As long as you made it, it’s the best in the world,” Anthony replied.
“Stop saying sweet things. Even if it tastes bad, you still have to eat it. From now on, you’re my official food tester.”
