Chapter 4The Will Left By My Mother

On my third day at Dad's house, Chloe came over again.

"Ethan, I had this cake specially ordered from France. Try a piece and see if you like it."

Dad sat on the sofa flipping through documents without looking up. "Just leave it there."

Chloe acted like nothing was wrong and placed the box on the coffee table.

She opened the box to reveal a white cake adorned with delicate chocolate flowers. It looked fancy and delicious.

I couldn't take my eyes off it.

It was so pretty.

When Mom was alive, we only ever stared at cakes like this through supermarket glass display cases.

Chloe noticed my gaze. "Would you like some, Lily?"

I looked at her, then at the cake, and nodded softly.

"Here you go, sweetheart."

I took a tiny scoop with a small spoon and put it into my mouth.

It was so sweet and soft.

"Is it good?"

I nodded, closed my eyes, and pressed my palms together.

When I opened my eyes, Chloe was smiling. "What did you wish for, Lily?"

"I wish Mom could taste this cake. Mom never got to have any."

Chloe glanced at Dad. "Your mom lives abroad. She's had all the fine food in the world."

"I'm sure she's eating something even better than this right now."

Dad finally raised his head.

He looked at me, his eyes cold and distant.

"Your mother sure is heartless. Leaving you here for days without showing her face even once."

I didn't say a word. I just kept my head down, taking tiny bite after tiny bite.

But Mom really never got to eat it.

In her final months, she couldn't even swallow porridge.

She had withered away to skin and bones, lying in bed without even the strength to sit up.

Yet she still stroked my hair and whispered, "When Mom gets better, I'll take Lily to eat the biggest, prettiest cake in the whole world..."

Suddenly, the cake tasted bitter in my mouth.

* * *

On the morning of Father's Day, I woke up very early.

I pulled out the greeting card and checked it again.

The word "DAD" still glittered, surrounded by hand-drawn stars.

Only the star representing Mom had faded a bit as I had been touching it so many times.

I also brought out the letter Mom left for Dad.

The envelope was thick and heavy.

After waiting for so many days, I finally understood, Mom wasn't coming back.

She had really gone.

Dad said I was a liar.

But I thought he was the real liar.

He said Mom would come to pick me up, but she never would.

He said Mom took millions to live a lavish life, but she couldn't even afford her medicine.

Holding the card and the letter tightly, I walked downstairs to find Dad.

"Dad."

I held out the card to him. "Happy Father's Day."

Dad took the card, looked at it, and said nothing.

I then offered him the envelope. "And this. Mom left it for you."

Dad didn't reach for it.

He stared at the envelope in my hands with a conflicted expression.

"Keep the letter yourself."

"I'm going to wait for your mother to deliver it to me in person."

I shook my head. "Mom can't come."

"She will. When she's done playing games and acting out her drama, she'll come."

My voice grew louder. "She's never coming back!"

My hands trembled, and I lost my grip. The letter slipped and fell onto the floor.

Both of us looked down.

The envelope wasn't sealed shut. When it hit the floor, part of the paper inside slid out.

On the front, there were words written in large, heavy strokes.

[The Last Will and Testament of Evelyn Wright.]

Dad froze completely.