Chapter 3

At noon, Lucas left work and drove straight to the hospital. Jake was lying in the hospital bed while Eva sat beside him, reading him a storybook. Meanwhile, Miranda was nowhere to be found. When Jake saw Lucas, he sat up and called out, "Dad." Lucas asked, "Are you feeling better?" Jake nodded quickly. "Yeah, I feel much better. Thanks for having Eva take care of me. She's been here with me the whole day." "Has your mom been here?" At that, Jake lowered his eyes and avoided looking at Lucas. "No. Mom hasn't come. She doesn't care about me." Lucas frowned. He had been counting on Miranda to take care of their son, but she couldn't even do that. He pulled out his phone and started typing out a series of messages to her. "Jake is sick. Did you even notice? "Why should someone else have to look after your son? "No wonder he calls Eva his mom. "Get over here right now." A while later, Miranda replied, "You're there, right? Then you take care of him." Lucas looked at the texts and almost laughed out loud in disbelief. Was she still refusing to come over? She was a mother now, yet she still acted like a little girl who needed him to coax her. She was the one who insisted on having the child, and now that she had him, she didn't even want to take care of him. He shouldn't have spoiled her so much. After using Jake to get her way, she started giving him attitude. Eva noticed Lucas' expression and asked quietly, "Mr. Holden, is Mrs. Holden still busy?" This morning, when Lucas went to work, he couldn't stop worrying about Jake and asked Eva to help take care of him. It worked out because Jake liked her so much. Lucas replied, "Yeah. Sorry to trouble you with this. I'll have someone else cover your work." Eva replied with a gentle smile, "You don't need to apologize, Mr. Holden. Mrs. Holden has always stayed home, so she probably doesn't understand how hard you work. As your assistant, it's my job to help you out, especially when things are tough. "Besides, I'm just a regular assistant. It doesn't matter if I miss a day. I really like Jake, and he likes me. Even if you didn't ask, I would have wanted to stay with him today." Jake grinned and said, "Eva, you're the best!" Eva ruffled his hair, smiling back. Lucas didn't say a word. He just sat there, holding his phone in his hand. Even though Miranda had never worked outside of home, she knew how hard he worked. She took care of everything so well that his colleagues and business partners were all jealous. Yet, seeing Miranda's reply just made him angrier. She had always been so obedient. What was she trying to prove now? Without a second thought, he blocked her number. ... Meanwhile, Miranda had already hired a lawyer and finished drafting the divorce agreement. She held her phone for a long time, hesitating, before finally pressing send. But after a while, she realized Lucas had blocked her. It felt like a needle had pierced her heart. She sat stunned for a moment, then turned to her computer and sent the divorce papers to Lucas' email. When Hazel saw that the email had gone through, she cheered, "You did it! Finally! Come on, you deserve a big kiss!" Miranda laughed and ducked away. "Save it for your fans." "This is worth celebrating! Let's go on a trip together!" But Miranda shook her head. "I can't. I have to go to Darsland." Hazel blinked in surprise. "Darsland?" Miranda explained, "Do you remember Abigail Lloyd, my mom's best friend? Her birthday is coming up, and she sent me an invitation a while ago. I haven't seen her in years, so I thought I'd go and visit. It'll be good for me to clear my head. I already booked my ticket, and the flight is tonight." Hazel said, "Then let me take you to the airport." Miranda nodded. "Thanks." Staring at the sent email on her screen, Miranda realized that all the struggle and hesitation she'd felt suddenly seemed less frightening now that she had finally taken the leap. She closed her laptop and picked up her suitcase. ... That evening, Lucas brought Jake home from the hospital. When they arrived home, Miranda wasn't there to greet them like she always had. Instead, Celine came out to meet them at the door. Lucas asked, "Where is Miranda?" Celine replied, "She hasn't been home all day." Lucas' expression turned cold as he handed Jake over and walked upstairs. His phone remained completely silent. For some reason, he started to feel anxious. Maybe this time, she really was more stubborn than usual. Frustrated, he tossed his phone aside and turned on his computer. Then, he saw a new email from Miranda. Lucas smirked as he loosened his tie with one hand. He thought maybe she was finally growing a backbone, but he realized he was wrong. She simply found another way to reach him when she couldn't get through on her phone. He opened the email and read the content. "I've hired a lawyer and drafted a divorce agreement. Everything is split 50-50, and you'll have custody of Jake. If you're okay with it, sign it and send it to Hazel's place." There was a PDF attachment. For a moment, Lucas' mind went blank. He didn't even notice how slow he was to click on the attachment. It really was a divorce agreement. Just then, Jake came in and walked up to the desk. "Dad, can I have a Coke? Celine said Mom doesn't let me, but you will, right?" Lucas snapped out of it. "Go ahead." Jake almost jumped for joy. He ran to fill a glass with ice-cold Coke, then brought it back to the study and offered Lucas a sip. Lucas shook his head and waved him off. It was then that Jake caught sight of the email on the screen. He recognized the words "divorce agreement", and his face lit up as he looked at Lucas. "Dad, are you really divorcing Mom?" "Your mom sent this. She says you'll stay with me and doesn't want you." Jake sat up straight, then after a moment, he frowned and asked, "Is she trying to threaten us?" Lucas paused, then laughed. Even a kid could see it. Did Miranda really think she would actually go through with a divorce and just leave Jake behind? That was ridiculous. Jake pouted. "She's so childish." Lucas nodded. "Yeah." She was definitely pushing further than she ever had before. But did she really think she could threaten him? Wasn't she afraid there'd be no turning back? Jake was displeased. "When I was playing with Eva, she wouldn't let me. Now, she's threatening us again. Why can't she just get along with Eva? She's so petty! Dad, if you and Mom do get divorced, I don't want to stay with her. I want to be with you!" Lucas didn't respond and closed his laptop. "Finish your drink and go to bed. We're not going to pay attention to her." "Are we just going to ignore her?" Jake asked. Lucas didn't want to indulge Miranda, knowing she'd just make an even bigger scene next time. All he wanted was a quiet, peaceful life. He nodded and said, "Let's see how long she can keep up this little act." Sooner or later, she would come back on her own. Jake secretly hoped Miranda wouldn't come back too soon. With Miranda gone, he could sneak in extra video games, watch TV, eat snacks, and have ice cream whenever he wanted. He would finally have his freedom! That night, though, after all the cold Coke, Jake's fever came back, and he threw up. Celine rushed to tell Lucas, who had absolutely no idea how to care for a sick kid. He clumsily helped Jake get dressed, put his clothes on backward, and even left his shoes on the wrong feet until Celine noticed and fixed it. Jake slumped against Lucas' shoulder. He felt miserable from being sick, and his clothes were uncomfortable. He looked down and murmured, "Mom..."