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."
