Chapter 3Returned After a Year

After she cried for a while, she made a decision she believed was the right one.

“He’s just a man. If he doesn’t want me, fine. I can’t let him ruin my entire life.”

She pulled herself together, freshening up her makeup. When she looked up and saw me, her gaze faltered. For a brief, chilling moment, she looked at me like I was an obstacle, a roadblock on her path to a new life.

I shrank back into the corner, too scared to make a sound.

She stood there for a long time before finally going to my room and packing my things.

She handed me my backpack, now stuffed with clothes, and knelt down, her voice uncharacteristically soft. “Poppy, Mommy is moving far away, and it’s not convenient to take you with me.”

“I’m going to take you to your father’s house. From now on, you’ll live with him, just like you used to.”

Her words were gentle, but it wasn’t a discussion. It was a verdict.

My face went pale. “Mommy, please don’t send me away,” I begged, my voice small. “I’ll be good, I promise. I won’t be any trouble.”

She didn't seem to hear me. She just grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.

I cried silently in the car the whole way there. I couldn’t understand. She was the one who had taken me away so forcefully. Why was she abandoning me now?

Even now, sitting in this warm, strange house, I still didn’t have an answer.

When Claire came back from her phone call, she saw me staring into space, my face ashen. A look of deep sympathy crossed her face. She found a first-aid kit and gently started treating the bruises on my arm with a soothing balm.

As I watched her tend to me with such delicate care, my nose started to sting. I couldn’t remember my own mother ever being this gentle with me. Elara was always consumed by her own world—plotting against Claire, trying to win Dad back. She rarely paid any attention to me, and when she did, it was usually a cold instruction: “Mommy has things to do. If you’re hungry, there’s bread in the kitchen.”

I looked up at Claire’s kind eyes and soft smile. In that moment, I knew. She was nothing like the monster my mother had described.

A warmth spread through my chest, and I felt my tense little body finally begin to relax. I followed her downstairs and we ate breakfast together.

Just as I was wondering what to do next, the front door swung open.

My father strode in, his face a cold, hard mask. The second he saw me, his brow furrowed, and his eyes grew even colder.

My mother’s words echoed in my head.

“Your father despises us now, Poppy…”

“He has a new child. Where do you think that leaves you?”

I took a fearful step back, hiding myself behind Claire.

My father’s jaw tightened. “What game is she playing now?” he asked, his voice low and laced with a weariness that bordered on disgust. He clearly wanted nothing more to do with my mother.

“I-I don’t know…” I stammered. “Mommy said she’s starting a new life… and that I should live with you again, like before.”

Claire felt me trembling and shot my father a sharp, reproachful look. “What does any of this have to do with Poppy? This is between you adults.” She put a protective arm around my shoulders, her displeasure with him obvious.

His gaze shifted to Claire, and the ice in his eyes melted instantly. The corner of his mouth even lifted into a small smile. “You’re right, Claire. I’m sorry. That was the wrong thing to say.”

My eyes widened in shock. For as long as I could remember, my father had been a man of stone faces and few words. He’d made sure the nanny took care of me and occasionally asked how preschool was, but he had never, ever smiled at me.

But here he was, smiling at Claire.

She gave him a look that was still stern but softening. “You should know better. Don’t walk around the house with that scowl all the time. You’re scaring Poppy.”

He nodded, his voice softer. “I know.” He walked over, gave Claire a quick hug, and then looked down at me. I tensed, bracing myself.

“You’re six now,” he said, his tone business-like. “It’s time for first grade. I’ve already enrolled you in a school. Robert will start taking you tomorrow morning.”