Chapter 6

After that encounter at the theme park, Ethan did not once visit home. Faith and Callie seemed to have reached a tacit agreement not to bring him up. As Callie's birthday neared, Faith and Callie prepared a bunch of invitation cards to give to Callie's classmates. Later, Callie happily reported to Faith that all the classmates she invited had accepted the invitation. Two days before Callie's birthday, Faith ran into Ethan and Nicole at Callie's school. She saw Daniel standing between them, crying with his head hung low. Both adults were comforting him. It turned out that Daniel had broken a rule, and the school had summoned his parents. How ironic! Ethan had never paid Callie any attention, yet here he was, playing the role of a good father to another man's son. Perhaps, he had extended his love for Nicole to include Daniel. Faith looked away and turned to Callie, who had stepped out of the classroom. When Callie walked by Ethan, she paused and greeted him and Nicole. "Hi, Uncle Ethan and Ms. Sutton." Ethan, who had noticed Callie, glanced at her. "Ms. Sullivan, are you here to pick up your daughter?" Nicole warmly greeted Faith. Faith nodded. "Yeah." "I envy you for having such a well-behaved child. Mine gets into trouble all day," grumbled Nicole. "How did you manage to raise Callie this well when both kids are fatherless?" Callie spoke before Faith could reply. She stared at Ethan. "Daniel has a dad, doesn't he? Just tell his dad to keep an eye on him." Feeling guilty, Ethan dared not look Callie in the eye. On the other hand, Nicole blushed shyly. "Oh, sweetheart, that's nonsense! Ethan and I are just friends…" Tears welled up in Callie's eyes. No longer wishing to hear one word from them, she bid goodbye. "Bye, Uncle Ethan and Ms. Sutton." Callie dragged Faith along. Faith sensed Ethan's eyes on her. He kept staring, even after she and Callie had gone a distance. She thought, "Ethan Hale, you have one last chance to prove yourself." That night, Ethan finally came home. Callie was in a bad mood, so Faith stayed by her side and drew with her. When they heard the door opening, both of them turned. "Uncle Ethan." "You're home." Callie and Faith greeted Ethan respectively. He nodded indifferently and handed Callie a gift box. "Is this for me?" Callie was surprised. This was Ethan's second gift for her. "Yeah." "Thanks, Uncle Ethan." Callie, too excited, unboxed the gift to reveal a Lego car. Faith immediately frowned at the gift, which she had seen before in Nicole's Instagram post. The Lego car was one of the many gifts Ethan gave to Daniel. The "gift" was a toy that Daniel no longer wanted. Ethan rebuked Faith, "Teach Callie better. I don't want her spouting nonsense in public. And stay away from Nicole." He visited just to warn Faith in case Faith ratted him out in front of Nicole. Faith flashed an icy smile. "Will do." He did not make a move. She asked, "Anything else?" Staring at her, he suggested, "Transfer Callie to a new preschool. Pick whichever school you like, and I'll get someone to sort it out." Callie's heart dropped. Was Ethan trying to get rid of them for good? She looked at Callie with a pained heart. The poor girl hung her head low, tears staining the Lego toy. "Okay." Faith knew that any form of protest was futile. Ethan was ready to leave after he had accomplished the mission he set out for. Suddenly, Callie got up and ran over to him. "Uncle Ethan, my birthday is on the day after tomorrow. Can you spend the day with me? Just this once," she requested after mustering all her courage. Her face was streaked with obvious tear stains. Unable to take it, Faith turned away. Callie kept her head up in Ethan's silence, awaiting an answer.