Ethan's heart sank the moment he saw the message.

A wave of panic and unease spread through him. He immediately called Faith back, but her phone was turned off. When he sent her a message, it failed to be delivered.

Did she block his number? Was she throwing a tantrum because he snubbed Callie's birthday party?

Frustrated, Ethan tugged at his tie.

"Mr. Hale, Mr. Lamont from Prestige Group has arrived downstairs." Mathias knocked on the door to remind him.

Ethan took a deep breath and walked out of the room after pulling himself together.

He personally went down to the lobby to welcome Lenny Lamont due to the importance of their partnership.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he was met with a commotion.

Ethan turned his head and saw Daniel sitting on the floor, staring up at someone defiantly.

"My dad owns this place! You broke my ball, so you'd better apologize!"

"You 

Ethan finished up his work and got up to leave.

At the door, he ran into Nicole and Daniel. Daniel was struggling to carry a cup of coffee as he walked toward him.

"Ethan, where are you going?"

"Dad, I'm here to apologize." Daniel lifted the coffee in his hands. "Please don't be mad anymore."

Nicole leaned closer to Ethan, her chest brushing against his arm. "Ethan, the boy knows he made a mistake. Give him another chance."

Her subtle movements were glaringly obvious to Ethan. She had deliberately unbuttoned the top of her blouse and painted her lips a gaudy red. Her eyes were flirty.

"Ethan, don't hold it against him. He's just a child." Nicole's warm breath tickled his neck. "It was just a small mistake. Don't be upset, okay?"

Ethan frowned. The woman fawning over him now was nothing like the proud and aloof Nicole he once knew.

She couldn't compare to Faith.

Faith always stay

After what felt like an eternity, Ethan nodded. "Alright."

Callie smiled. Wiping away her tears, she ran over to the table and grabbed an invitation card for Ethan.

"Here's the address and the time of the party. Don't be late," she reminded him.

Ethan put away the invitation card and turned to leave.

"Mom, Uncle Ethan said yes!" Callie ran over, skipping with excitement.

"I heard him."

Callie adored Ethan. Even a single word from him could keep her happy for hours.

Before going to bed, she retrieved the teddy bear she had previously discarded and placed it next to her Lego car.

Faith watched her daughter with deep concern. Would Ethan really show up?

She would rather if he had simply turned down the invitation—better than letting Callie's hopes rise, only to be crushed again.

…

Ethan carried the invitation card on him when he met with Nicole. Daniel spotted it and burst into tears.

"What's wrong?" Ethan and Nicole asked in unison.

Daniel clutched the invitation card, sobbing. "Callie invited everyone in class except me!"

"Stop crying. If she didn't invite you, it's probably because you bullied her. Apologize to her, and she'll invite you next time." Nicole hugged her son and glanced at Ethan.

"No! I want to play with my classmates! I want to have my own party that day too! I want it, I want it!" Daniel wailed, burying his face in Nicole's arms, nearly crying himself breathless.

"But it's not your birthday."

"Then I don't want a birthday at all! Please, Mom, I just want to play with everyone!"

"Daniel, be good. Stop crying."

But Nicole couldn't console him—she started crying too.

"Stop crying. I'll throw you a party," Ethan said, lifting him. "We'll do it on the same day. You can invite the whole class."

"Really, Dad?" Daniel wiped his tears and looked at him in excitement.

Ethan nodded. Daniel's face lit up instantly, and he threw his arms around Ethan, cheering.

…

Faith and Callie had no idea about Ethan's decision. They continued preparing for the birthday party.

The day before, Faith had submitted Callie's school withdrawal application.

After returning home, Callie kept glancing at the clock, eager for time to pass quickly.

The closer it got to Callie's birthday, the more anxious Faith felt. She feared Ethan would disappoint Callie once again.

That morning, she texted him, "The party starts at 5:00 pm. Don't be late."

This time, he responded fast. "Okay."

Faith glanced at Callie, who was playing on her tablet nearby, and let out a small sigh of relief.

She wondered if she should reconsider leaving if Ethan really showed up to Callie's birthday party.

…

After lunch, Faith took Callie to the hotel, and they decorated the room together.

"Mom, will Uncle Ethan really come?" Callie was starting to worry too, glancing out the window every now and then.

Faith pulled up the message from that morning and showed it to her. "He will."

Callie smiled and went back to playing with the balloons.

When they were done with the decorations, Faith received a call from one of the parents. Their child had a last-minute conflict in schedule and couldn't make it to the party.

She made small talk before hanging up; she hadn't expected more calls to follow.

"Mom, is no one coming?" Callie had overheard and looked uneasy. 

Then, she smiled, forcing herself to sound cheerful. "It's okay. As long as Uncle Ethan comes, that's all I want. I just want to celebrate with you and Uncle Ethan."

Faith's heart ached at how understanding Callie was. She opened her mouth to comfort Callie but couldn't find the words.

She sent Ethan another message.

This time, he didn't reply.

…

The party had started, but not a single classmate showed up.

Faith glanced at her phone. Nicole had just posted on Instagram that she had thrown Daniel a "Back-to-School" party and invited the entire class.

The photo was a group shot of all the kids and their parents, with Ethan standing in the center.

"Thank you, Ethan, for organizing this party. You make Daniel so happy!"

Faith's hands trembled. Her phone slipped and fell to the floor.

He knew very well today was Callie's birthday.

Callie picked up the phone and stared blankly at the photo.

This time, she didn't cry.

"Mom, let's eat." Callie set the phone on the table and pulled the cake toward her. "Mom, help me light the candles."

Faith felt like she was suffocating from heartbreak.

She lit the candles and turned off the lights.

"I wish Uncle Ethan happiness forever. And I wish Mom and I would always be together."

Faith could no longer hold back her tears when she heard the wishes. As the candle flickered out, she quickly wiped her face and forced a smile.

"Eat up."

"Mom, from now on, I only want to celebrate my birthday with you. Let's finish eating and leave."

Callie took a bite of the cake before she finally broke down and started sobbing.

Faith pulled her into her arms. "Callie, don't cry. I will take good care of you from now on."

Ethan had run out of chances. She and Callie would never look back.

That night, Faith and Callie packed their bags and left the villa. They booked the earliest flight to Averna.

Before boarding, Faith sent Ethan one last message.

"Ethan, I wish you happiness for the rest of your life."

Then, she turned off her phone, took Callie's hand, and boarded the plane.

From that moment on, they had nothing to do with him anymore.

Ethan's heart sank the moment he saw the message.

A wave of panic and unease spread through him. He immediately called Faith back, but her phone was turned off. When he sent her a message, it failed to be delivered.

Did she block his number? Was she throwing a tantrum because he snubbed Callie's birthday party?

Frustrated, Ethan tugged at his tie.

"Mr. Hale, Mr. Lamont from Prestige Group has arrived downstairs." Mathias knocked on the door to remind him.

Ethan took a deep breath and walked out of the room after pulling himself together.

He personally went down to the lobby to welcome Lenny Lamont due to the importance of their partnership.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, he was met with a commotion.

Ethan turned his head and saw Daniel sitting on the floor, staring up at someone defiantly.

"My dad owns this place! You broke my ball, so you'd better apologize!"

"You want me to apologize when it was you who made a mistake?"

"I'm just a kid! Why are you picking on m

Chapter 8