The Man in the Past

Yvette used my phone to send the photo over. She was probably too happy to hold back and ended up sending a voice message as well.

Her tone was cautious. "Daddy, this is my seat in the classroom. Don't go to the wrong one, okay?"

Hearing Yvette's timid, childish voice made my heart ache. I reached out to gently ruffle her hair. In my heart, I prayed that Harold wouldn't let us down again this time.

The other kids' parents had already started arriving one after another.

Yvette gripped the corner of my shirt tightly, her eyes fixing longingly on the stairs. Yet, Harold was nowhere to be seen.

When her homeroom teacher, Laura Anderson, came over for the third time to ask, "Yvette's dad still isn't here?" Yvette could no longer hold back her tears.

Gripping my shirt, she looked up with a pale face and asked, "Mommy, is it because Daddy doesn't like me that he doesn't want to come to my parent-teacher meeting?"

I held her tightly in my arms. "No, this has nothing to do with you. It's his fault."

Then I stood up and turned to Laura. "Sorry for keeping you and the other parents waiting. I'll attend the meeting alone."

Yvette was always well-behaved and did well in school. The teachers adored her, so they didn't say much.

Just as the parent-teacher meeting ended, I received a call from Harold, and anger surged in me instantly.

The timing couldn't be better. I was about to confront him about why he'd lied to Yvette if he couldn't attend the meeting.

But before I could say a word, his furious voice blasted through the receiver. "Where's Yvette right now? Tell her to get over here and apologize to Jacob immediately! Because of that voice message she sent, Jacob had an episode. He's now hospitalized!"

I froze for a moment before I realized what voice message Harold was talking about. A chill ran straight through me.

Ever since Susan and Jacob entered the picture, Harold had forbidden Yvette from calling him "Daddy".

All because Jacob suffered from severe depression, and since Susan was divorced, just hearing the word "Daddy" would supposedly trigger him.

Using that so-called depression as an excuse, Harold had abandoned Yvette and me time and time again.

Yvette gradually came to understand that whenever she called him "Daddy", he would get angry and stop coming home. Hence, she stopped saying it around him and only used it quietly when she was alone with me.

Even this time, it was just a voice message sent over the phone. If Harold hadn't let Jacob play with his phone, how would he have even heard that message and had an episode?

Looking over at Yvette, who wasn't far away, I forced down the anger rising in my chest. "This isn't Yvette's fault. She's not going to apologize. The one who should be apologizing is you, Harold Jefferson!"

With that, I hung up without waiting for his response.

I took a moment to compose myself, then walked over to Yvette. "You did really well in your exam. I'm going to reward you. Tell me what you want. A new toy? A fancy meal?"

But Yvette shook her head. She reached out and held my hand. "I just want you to stay with me forever."

My eyes stung. My voice was hoarse as I replied, "Okay. I'll stay with you forever."

As I held Yvette in my arms, the thought of leaving had never felt so clear.