The spotlight illuminated Emma's face as she stood center stage, her small hands clasped tightly at her waist. The elementary school auditorium buzzed with anticipation, parents snapping photos and whispering proudly about their children.
"Next up, we have Emma Watson performing a special solo dedication," the music teacher announced.
Emma's eyes scanned the audience, landing on me in the third row. Her smile faltered for just a moment when she saw the empty seat beside me.
"Go ahead, sweetheart," I mouthed, giving her an encouraging thumbs-up.
She nodded, straightening her shoulders as the piano began to play. Her voice, clear and sweet, filled the room.
"This song is for the best daddy in the world," she said into the microphone, her voice trembling slightly. "Even though he couldn't be here today."
I felt my chest tighten as she launched into the song she'd practiced for weeks. Every other word seemed to be about Marcus—his strength, his kindness, how much she loved him. I kept the camera steady despite my shaking hands, capturing her hopeful glances toward the empty seat I'd reserved for him.
After the performance, Emma ran to me, her eyes still searching the exits.
"Did Daddy get stuck in traffic?" she asked, clutching her backstage pass.
I swallowed hard. "He had to help Ms. Porter with something important, honey."
Later that evening, Emma found Marcus's phone charging on the kitchen counter. She picked it up, swiping through his photos with curious fingers.
"What are you doing, sweetheart?" I asked from the doorway.
"Looking for pictures of my performance," she replied, her small face illuminated by the screen's glow.
Her expression changed suddenly, eyes widening as she stared at the images. "But... he was at Sophia's soccer game."
I moved closer, looking over her shoulder. There they were—dozens of photos of Sophia in her team uniform, Marcus crouched beside her, his arm around her shoulders. His smile was wide and genuine, the kind Emma hadn't seen directed at her in months.
"He took pictures of her," Emma whispered, her voice small and broken. "And he missed my song."
She handed me the phone, tears spilling down her cheeks as she ran to her room.
---
"The nerve of that woman," Helen muttered, sliding into the seat across from me at our favorite café. "I followed her yesterday after she called Marcus away from Emma's birthday planning."
I stirred my coffee absently. "And?"
"She went straight to the Heavenly Springs Spa," Helen said, pulling out her phone to show me the photos she'd taken. "Sophia was with her. They spent three hours getting manicures and massages while Emma waited for her father to help pick out her birthday cake."
The images showed Grace and Sophia lounging by the spa's pool, laughing over sparkling water. Grace's hand rested casually on Sophia's shoulder, both of them completely relaxed despite the "emergency" that had pulled Marcus away.
"She's been doing this for months," Helen continued. "Scheduling these 'crises' right when Emma has something important. It's not coincidence, Caroline. It's calculated."
I stared at the photos, a cold realization settling in my stomach. "She's deliberately keeping him away from us."
"Exactly," Helen confirmed. "And Marcus is too blind to see it."
---
"Great news," Marcus announced, setting down his fork during dinner. "Grace and Sophia will be joining us for Emma's birthday celebration this weekend."
The dining room fell silent. Emma's fork paused halfway to her mouth.
"They're like family now," Marcus continued, oblivious to the tension. "And Sophia's been asking to celebrate with Emma."
Emma set her fork down carefully, pushing back from the table. "May I be excused?" she asked quietly.
Without waiting for an answer, she slipped from her chair and padded upstairs.
I found her in her room ten minutes later, sitting cross-legged on her floor surrounded by family photographs. She held a pair of child-safe scissors in her small hands.
"What are you doing, sweetheart?" I asked, kneeling beside her.
Emma looked up, her eyes serious beyond her years. "Making room for Sophia," she replied, carefully cutting Marcus's image from a family photo.
She held up the mutilated picture—Emma and me standing alone, the space where Marcus had been now an empty void.
"Daddy likes her better," Emma explained matter-of-factly. "So I'm making new pictures with just you and me. And... and sometimes I'll put Sophia in them too."
She selected another photo—Marcus lifting her onto his shoulders at the beach last summer. With careful precision, she cut around his silhouette.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.
Emma's small fingers stilled on the paper. "Because when I look at pictures with Daddy in them, I remember how he used to be before he stopped coming to my things." She looked up at me, her eyes too sad for a seven-year-old. "And it hurts too much to remember."
