“My plan was to wait until Vincent could take care of himself, then come clean and come back to our family.”
“But yesterday, you didn't have to blow things up like that. You should've thought about how the kid would feel.”
“The reason I didn't come out to find you last night was because Vincent was upset. I had to explain things to him so he wouldn't be traumatized.”
I was so angry I laughed.：“So this is somehow my fault?”
“I'm supposed to play deaf and dumb, sit around like a good little wife, wait until Vincent turns eighteen, and then welcome you back with open arms?”
“Sebastian, I'm not that pathetic! I'm done being your nanny so the two of you can walk all over me!”
Sebastian let out sigh after sigh.：“Vivian, why can't you see that everything I did was for your own good?”
“I wanted you and Vincent to spend time together, build a real bond, so that when the truth came out, we could all be one family.”
“You're my wife. He's my son. You're both the people I love most in this world.”
I was too furious to speak.
I turned to leave, but Sebastian blocked my way.
He looked pained, and after a long silence, forced the words out.：“Fine. I'll come home right now. For good.”
“From now on, Anne is just my ex-wife. Is that enough for you?”
I didn't say a word. I slapped him across the face as hard as I could.
Sebastian held his cheek, his voice low.：“Vivian, now that you've hit me, can we put this behind us?”
“I'm not letting you walk out that door. We're husband and wife. I want to be with you forever.”
That was when his phone rang.
Anne's voice came through, sobbing.：“Sebastian, Vincent's crying again. He's scared someone's going to take you away from him. Can you please come back right now?”
After he hung up, Sebastian looked at me with that tortured expression.：“Vivian, wait for me. I'll be right back.”
He rushed out like he couldn't get away fast enough.
And I quietly closed the door and left that home without looking back.
I hailed a cab. Found an apartment. Unpacked my things.
In a single day, I built myself a new home.
By the time I finished, it was the middle of the night.
The entire day, Sebastian hadn't sent a single message.
Lying in bed, I scrolled through my social media feed and saw Sebastian had posted something new.
He and Anne and Vincent had gone to an amusement park, eaten at a fancy restaurant, and at the end of the night, fallen asleep curled up together.
The caption read：Family of three, living the dream.
I let out a cold laugh and moved to hit the like button, but the post had vanished.
He must have……blocked me.
For the next three days, I tended to my little apartment alone.
Bit by bit, as I arranged and decorated, it started to feel like a real home.
I was like a wounded animal, curled up in a corner, licking my own wounds.
Just when I was finally starting to heal, Sebastian began bombarding me with messages and calls.
Three days. It took him three whole days to realize I was gone.
I picked up.
His voice came through frantic on the other end.：“Vivian, where are you? I've been looking everywhere. I'm losing my mind.”
I said nothing.
Sebastian kept going.：“I'm swamped at work. And Anne can't be stuck at home watching the kid every day.”
“You've got experience taking care of Vincent anyway. Could you just come over and help out?”
The sheer audacity of it left me speechless for a moment.
I thought about it, then asked, my voice dripping with scorn.：“Help out, or be your nanny?”
Sebastian said：“You don't want to be a nanny, and I'd never force you to keep doing that.”
I let out a dry laugh.：“So this time I don't even get token pay.”
Sebastian sighed.：“Vivian, the child is innocent……”
I was done listening. My voice came out flat.：“Let's meet. The same place we first met.”
I'd first met Sebastian at a coffee shop.
Sitting in that familiar seat, a wave of disorientation washed over me.
Ever since the wedding, Sebastian had never stopped complaining about money, and I'd never been back here.
He arrived quickly.
He reached for my hand and held it, his expression earnest.：“Vivian, stop hiding from me. I never once thought about leaving you.”
“And I know you've had a few days to think it through：I come home, we raise Vincent together. That's the best outcome for everyone.”
A flicker of smugness crossed his face.：“You still love me. Otherwise you wouldn't have come.”
I pulled the divorce papers from my bag and slid them across the table.：“I came so you could sign these.”
Sebastian glanced down. The color drained from his face.
