Chapter 5
The first weekend after the drama, I was still asleep when rustling sounds woke me up. I opened my eyes and saw Felix standing on his tiptoes by my vanity, acting suspicious.
"Felix, what are you doing?" I asked.
He jumped, startled, and whatever he was holding clattered to the floor.
I looked closer. It was the barely-used set of ridiculously expensive skincare products I owned.
"I… I wanted to make Mommy pretty," he said quietly, picking up the bottle.
For a second, I felt a rush of warmth. Had this kid actually turned over a new leaf?
I sat up and waved him over. "Come here."
He shuffled to the bedside.
"How do you want to make me pretty?" I asked gently.
"Ms. Sulvan says women have to take care of themselves, or they'll age fast," he recited seriously. "She says she uses toner, serum, lotion, cream, and eye cream every single day. Mommy, you should use them too."
As he spoke, he tried to smear the serum on my face.
I caught his hand, not sure whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, alright. I got it. Go wash up, and we'll take you out later."
That day, I did something unusual. I put on light makeup and changed into a dress I hadn't worn in ages.
When I walked out of the bedroom, Caden was reading the newspaper, and Felix was playing with Legos. They both froze like someone had hit pause and turned to stare at me.
Caden's eyes lit up with undisguised admiration. He set down the paper, walked over, and reached for my waist out of habit.
"Honey, you look beautiful today."
Felix ran over too, tilting his head up to look at me with bright, shining eyes. "Mommy, you look like a fairy today!"
My mood lifted. I smiled and pinched his cheek. Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.
But I celebrated too soon.
The three of us went to an amusement park and wore ourselves out completely. By the time we got home that evening, Felix was already asleep in my arms.
Caden carried him to his room while I went to remove my makeup and wash up. When I came out of the bathroom in my familiar old cotton pajamas with a sheet mask on my face, Caden was leaning against the headboard, looking at his phone.
He glanced up at me and smiled. "You must be exhausted. Come rest."
I'd just climbed into bed when Caden's phone rang. It was a FaceTime call. He looked at the screen, his expression turning a bit odd, then declined the call.
"Who is it?" I asked casually.
"Nothing important. A work thing." He set his phone face down on the nightstand.
I didn't think much of it and pulled off my sheet mask, ready to sleep. Then the phone rang again. It was another video call.
Caden declined it again and put it on silent. My gut told me something wasn't right.
Before he could stop me, I grabbed his phone. By the time he tried to intervene, it was too late.
On the screen was a contact saved as "Felix's Teacher".
The messages that just came through read, "Mr. Lancaster, is Felix asleep yet? Some of the girls in our class said they miss him and want to video chat to say goodnight."
Below that was, "Mr. Lancaster, is now a good time?"
My anger flared instantly. I looked up at Caden coldly.
He immediately threw his hands up, looking completely innocent. "Honey, I swear, there's absolutely nothing between us. Felix gave her my number today!
"He said it was to make it easier to discuss his schoolwork. I didn't think anything of it and saved her number too. I haven't even talked to her!" He swore up and down.
I believed him, but I didn't believe Renee Sulvan.
What kind of teacher would video call a student's parent in the middle of the night? And with some bullshit excuse about "the girls miss him".
I opened Renee's profile. Her latest post was from half an hour ago. It was a carefully posed selfie with the caption, "Sleepless nights are perfect for missing someone."
The background showed a trendy, upscale bar. She had heavy makeup on and a hazy look in her eyes that came off seductive.
What made me even angrier was what I saw below the post. Caden's account had liked the post.
Caden went pale. He immediately tried to defend himself.
"What? Honey, I would never follow another woman's account! Let alone give her a like!"
His words trailed off as he froze, seeming to understand. Then, his gaze shifted toward the next room.
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