Across a Sea of Lies

Arlo grabbed her, feeling extremely heartbroken. "Simone! What are you doing?"

Then, he turned his head around and glared at me, his eyes full of disgust. "Hayden just drew on Anna's face. Why are you making such a big deal out of this? Just wash it off. How dramatic!"

"Wash it off?" I turned around to pull Anna over and pointed at her red and swollen face. "The teacher scrubbed her skin raw, but it still can't be washed off! You're a chemical materials scientist. Shouldn't you be able to tell what kind of marker was used?"

Arlo paused for a moment before looking down.

Hayden was clutching a custom-made industrial permanent marker. It was the latest product from Arlo's laboratory. It had a special ink used to mark experimental equipment in extreme environments. It was waterproof, anti-corrosive, and resistant to high temperatures. Once it dried, it was extremely difficult to remove.

Arlo's expression changed. Subconsciously, he looked at Hayden. He asked in a gentle tone, "Hayden, how did you get this?"

Hayden shouted, "Daddy, you forgot? It's the gift you gave me last month on my birthday. You said it's a scientist's pen, and only smart kids can use it! That ugly fool is so stupid that I had to draw a clown on her face!"

A flicker of embarrassment crossed Arlo's face, but it quickly vanished, replaced by defiance. "Yes, it was a gift for Hayden. It's Anna's fault for being so gloomy all the time. Hayden just wanted to play with her to help her be more outgoing. What's wrong with that?"

Without giving me a chance to speak, he added, "Since you're here, take Anna home. Next week is the kindergarten's parent-child day, and Simone wants to buy Hayden a matching outfit. I'll go shopping with them at the mall."

I looked at him in disbelief. "Next week is also parent-child day for Anna. You were abroad all year, and Anna has been looking forward to your return so that you could accompany her to this event. Now that you're back, you're going to accompany someone else's son to buy matching outfits for the event?"

Arlo waved his hand impatiently. "Anna has you, doesn't she? You're wealthy and can buy her anything. Hayden is different; he's never worn new clothes in his life. Can't you have a little sympathy? Besides, I didn't say I wouldn't accompany Anna on parent-child day. I'll go home after shopping with Simone."

With that said, he picked up Hayden with one arm, supported Simone with the other, and turned around to leave.

Perched on Arlo's shoulder, Hayden smugly waved the black marker at Anna. "Clownface! Fatherless!"

Anna finally could not hold back and burst into tears. She chased a few steps, trying to tug at Arlo's clothes. "Daddy... Daddy, don't go..."

Arlo seemed not to hear her and quickened his pace instead.

Simone turned around and gave me a quick, defiant smirk. It was pure provocation.

"Mommy..." Anna sobbed so hard that she was out of breath. She pointed to the clown on her face. "Am I ugly? Does Daddy dislike me because I'm ugly?"

My heart ached. I reached out and wiped away Anna's tears. "Anna, it's not your fault. Your dad’s blind in the heart and eyes; he can’t see how good you are. He's mistaken trash for treasure. We don't need a blind guy to define what's beautiful and what's ugly."

Anna looked at me with a puzzled expression, but the sorrow in her eyes slowly faded.