The Man in the Past

In the end, I took Yvette out for a scrumptious meal and bought her her favorite dress and some toys.

I thought she could take it easy for once since it was Friday, but she still insisted on finishing her homework.

She had always been sensible, knowing that both Harold and I were busy with work. She never once made me worry about her studies.

After Yvette fell asleep, I was about to head to bed myself when I heard some noise outside.

When I went to check, I saw Harold. He was holding Jacob in his arms.

Behind Harold, Susan smiled at me. "Sorry to bother you."

I froze in place. The cold night breeze swept through the living room, chilling me to the bone. "Why are you bringing them back here?"

The words came out through gritted teeth. They pushed us out everywhere else, and now they wanted to invade the only space Yvette and I had left?

At first, Harold avoided my gaze, but after hearing my question, he frowned and suddenly acted self-righteously. "Jacob's condition is unstable, so he needs me around.

"It'd be inconvenient if I stayed at Susan's place. You'd become suspicious again if you found out, so I had no choice but to bring them here. This way, with everything right under your nose, you won't have anything to worry about, right?"

I was stunned by his twisted logic and was just about to speak when a soft, sleepy voice came from behind me. "What's going on, Mommy…"

I turned around and saw Yvette, still half-asleep, standing in the doorway and rubbing her eyes.

But the moment she saw Harold, her face lit up with joy. She was just about to call out to Harold.

Then she noticed Jacob in his arms, and the light in her eyes dimmed instantly. She was disappointed.

However, Harold remained completely oblivious. In fact, when he saw Yvette, he instructed sternly, "Yvette, good that you're awake. Come over and apologize to Jacob. He ended up like this because of you."

To Yvette, those words only deepened her guilt. She looked completely lost. "I…"

I stepped in front of her coldly. "Harold, I told you. Yvette did nothing wrong. You're the one at fault here."

Harold frowned, but then noticed the shopping bags on the living room table. They were gifts I had bought for Yvette that day.

His face darkened as if he'd caught us red-handed. "Yvette, what have I taught you? You did something wrong and still got all these gifts? Are you celebrating what happened?"