At that moment, my wife, Sienna, was still leaning lazily against the door, casually waving at Walter as he walked away. Only after his footsteps faded near the elevator did she slowly close the door.
I stood there, breath caught in my throat, as I really wanted to ask her why she did this to me.
But just as I was about to speak, my phone rang, sharp and urgent.
"Hello? Is this Chloe’s father? I haven’t been able to reach her mother. When are you coming to pick her up from school? Isn’t it irresponsible to leave her alone every time? Honestly, how many times has this happened just this week? Look at the time. Do you know how late it is? All the other children have gone home already."
Hearing my daughter’s name, my heart sank. I instinctively turned to look at Sienna, who stood not far from me.
She was still wearing that light blue nightgown, barely reaching mid-thigh. The neckline dipped low, deliberately showing off her cleavage.
"Why didn’t you go pick up Chloe?"
After hearing what I said, she turned to me slowly, her face void of remorse or even mild concern. Her voice was cold, detached.
"You knew Walter was here to fix the pipes. Besides, Chloe is big enough. What’s wrong with waiting a little longer at kindergarten? Why are you making such a big deal out of it?"
Her tone was sharp and impatient as if Chloe was not her daughter but just a nuisance she had to occasionally tolerate.
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, trying to rein in the boiling anger in my chest. Then I spoke softly into the phone, "I’m so sorry. We’ll come pick her up immediately. Please stay with her a little longer."
As I hung up, my hands trembled from rage.
I could not believe this. Sienna had gone too far.
She had chosen her affair over her own daughter.
And judging by the teacher’s frustration, this was clearly not the first time.
That thought alone made my head buzz with fury.
Back then, to ensure she could stay home and take care of our child without worry, I handed over my entire salary every month without fail. She was in charge of all the household finances and I never questioned it.
Yet in the end, while I was out working tirelessly to support our family, she was betraying me at home.
It would have been bad enough to be cheated on, but what I could not accept was that she did not even care about her own daughter.
The thought made my blood boil and I slammed my fist against the steering wheel in frustration.
Worried about Chloe, I quickly backed the car out of the parking space and sped off toward the school.
On the way, I called a lawyer friend and asked him to prepare a divorce agreement.
As for Sienna Fallon, I was completely done with her.
She was selfish, irresponsible and utterly unfit to be a wife or a mother. After picking up my daughter, I would go home and confront her face-to-face.
Before long, I arrived at the kindergarten. The place was nearly empty.
Aside from a few teachers lingering around, only Chloe remained, sitting quietly by the front door, gazing out as if hoping I would appear.
She had clearly been waiting for me.
Seeing her like that broke my heart even more. I rushed forward and scooped her into my arms.
"Chloe, I’m so sorry. Daddy’s late."
She looked up at me with wide eyes and a hint of disappointment. "Dad, did I do something wrong? Why is Mommy always the last one to pick me up? Today… all the other kids went home and I was the only one left again."
Her words felt like a dagger to my chest.
Sienna Fallon… she deserved death for this!
