Chapter 3
Alexander was about to speak, but I cut him off. “You’ve already missed her birthday. Are you going to miss her parent-teacher conference too?”
Alexander paused, and after a long while, he said, “I’ll go. I’ll definitely go this time. Is Kimmy mad at me? Can you help me explain…”
I had no interest in his long explanations. After getting a definite answer, I ended the call. Kimmy, who was beside me, saw me nod and jumped up happily.
Even though there were still several days until the parent-teacher conference, she had already started preparing what clothes she would wear.
On the day of the parent-teacher conference, Kimmy got up early and asked me to braid her hair nicely. She also put on her favorite outfit. Her eyes were bright and sparkling, and she was full of smiles.
Looking at her so full of anticipation, I felt a knot of anxiety forming in my chest. I took out my phone and texted Alexander.
“Alexander, don’t forget you promised to attend Kimmy’s parent-teacher conference today.”
Soon, Alexander sent back a voice message. “You and Kimmy go ahead. I’ll be there soon.”
In the background, I could hear Pearl calling Alexander “Daddy” and Charlotte “Mommy”. Sure enough, he was once again deceiving us for Charlotte and her daughter. All that talk about working overtime at the company was just an excuse to spend time with those two.
If this were before, I would have definitely fought with him and made a scene. But now, I only reminded him coldly, “If you disappoint Kimmy again this time, she won’t forgive you anymore.”
After saying that, I drove with my daughter to her school without waiting for his reply. The parent-teacher conference was about to start, but Alexander still hadn’t arrived. Kimmy kept looking toward the door, hoping her dad would walk through it any second.
Watching Kimmy stare at the door like that, I texted Alexander to urge him to come quickly. He told me there was a sudden emergency at the company and that he couldn’t attend the conference.
I frowned, trying to figure out how to explain this to Kimmy without hurting her, when I saw her looking toward the classroom door. Her face had turned deathly pale.
Following her gaze, I saw Alexander, who had said he was too busy to come to the parent-teacher conference, striding into the classroom.
Initially, thinking he was planning to surprise Kimmy, my furrowed brow relaxed. I was about to wave him over when I saw Charlotte tightly holding his arm beside him, while he held Charlotte’s daughter Pearl closely in his arms. The three of them looked like an intimate family.
My raised arm suddenly stiffened and dropped. Alexander didn’t see me and Kimmy.
He sat down naturally with Pearl in his arms and Charlotte beside him in the seats meant for Pearl’s parents. I quickly looked at my daughter, and she was keeping her head down tightly.
And on the previously dry desk, there was now a small puddle of water. I put my arm around her, about to comfort her, when several little boys suddenly appeared beside her.
They surrounded Kimmy and said, “Kimberly Morrison, didn’t you say you’d bring your dad today? Where’s your dad? I think you were just lying. So, you’re just a bastard with no father!”
“Kimberly, you’re such a liar!”
Kimmy kept her head down, her ears turning bright red. She suddenly lifted her head, revealing a pair of red, swollen eyes, and shouted, “I do have a dad! You’re the bastard with no dad!”
