Chapter 5

Two hours later, Callie finally opened the door. She emerged from her bedroom holding a teddy bear, and her eyes were swollen from all the crying. The teddy bear was Ethan's only gift to Callie, and she treasured it very much. She raised the teddy bear, and to Faith's surprise, she said, "Mom, I don't want this anymore." Forcing a smile, she shoved the teddy bear into Faith's arm. "Uncle Ethan has two chances left." "Alright." Faith was at a loss to comfort her daughter. Callie raised her head and asked, "Mom, can I throw a birthday party and invite all my friends?" Faith couldn't bring herself to say no. In the past, it was just the two of them celebrating Callie's birthday at home. Ethan had never shown up, and he never cared. Faith agreed to Callie's idea of a birthday party, knowing it was yet another chance for Ethan to prove her wrong. Since Callie had been coughing nonstop, Faith worried about her health and made her take a few days off school. Over the weekend, Faith took Callie to the theme park. While Callie was having fun, she waited by the side, racking her brain about the location of the birthday party. All of a sudden, Callie's cries hit her ear. She looked up and saw Daniel wrestling away Callie's toy. When Callie fought back, he shoved her onto the floor. Faith hurried over and lifted Callie from the ground. Then, staring at Daniel sternly, she demanded, "Apologize to Callie!" Daniel turned his face aside and lied, "Why do I need to apologize? She fell onto the ground by herself!" "I saw you pushing Callie onto the ground. You need to say sorry to her." Yet, Daniel was indignant. When he saw the approaching figure, he suddenly plopped onto the ground and started crying. Ethan quickened his pace and came up to check on Daniel with a worried look that he had never shown for Callie. "Daniel!" Faith snickered at his concern for Daniel. At the same time, Daniel grabbed Ethan's arm and complained, "Dad, they are bullying me! They took my toy and hit me." That immediately fueled Ethan's rage. He snapped his head to confront the bullies, only to pause when he recognized Faith and Callie. It took only one second for him to switch from looking concerned to indifferent. He growled, "What happened?" "Uncle Ethan, that boy pushed me." Callie stared at him eagerly. "Mom and I never bullied him. Mom just wanted him to say sorry to me." She stopped crying the moment Ethan showed up; she craved his concern. Frowning, Ethan replied, "Okay. Are you hurt?" "No." Callie shook her head. A smile blossomed on her face after she mistook the question for his concern. "Alright." Ethan nodded coldly and was ready to leave with Daniel. The look in Callie's eyes dimmed. Faith was overcome by a wave of sadness due to Ethan's outrageous favoritism. Although she and Callie never asked for his love, he had crossed a line by repeatedly hurting Callie. "Stand there." Faith gritted her teeth and stopped them. She blurted out, "You need to apologize." Ethan's eyes turned steely, clearly upset at her tantrum. "Do not turn this into a big deal," he warned Faith. "Daniel is just a child." Her heart sank, but she did not back down. "Mr. Hale, nothing is too insignificant when it concerns my child. That boy needs to apologize after he shoved Callie to the ground. "Look, there are security cameras in the store. We could go over the footage if you need evidence." This was Faith's first time defying Ethan, and he was surprised. His scowl deepened, but she stood her ground. Callie had been let down too many times. This time, Faith was determined to fight for justice. Ethan might not care about Callie's feelings, but she cared. She would never allow Ethan to back another kid and bully Callie. "I apologize on Daniel's behalf." Since Daniel refused to budge, Ethan intervened coldly, "Daniel did not do it on purpose." "How could you—" She could not believe that Ethan would defend Nicole's son until the very end. "It's fine. I forgive you. Mom, let's go." Callie tugged at Faith's arm and tried her best to smile. The moment she turned away from Ethan and Daniel, tears rolled down her cheeks. Equally upset, Faith felt her chest tighten. She croaked, "Okay."