chapter 3

I stayed curled up under the covers and slept all the way till noon. Only woke up when Annie came knocking.

The second I saw her sweet little face, my heart softened instantly.

Time just flew when she was around.

Before I knew it, over a week had passed. I was out at the amusement park with Annie and James.

That was when my phone rang. It was from my old property manager.

"Mrs. Finnegan, your son Lucas got into a fight with some local kids and poisoned someone's dog. Could you come deal with this?"

I answered calmly, "I'm not Mrs. Finnegan anymore. I don't have custody of Lucas, and I don't live in your neighborhood. Please contact his father."

The manager sounded kind of embarrassed and said that Lucas only gave him my number.

I sighed. "Put me on speaker."

Then, loud and clear, I said, "You got into a fight and poisoned a dog? That's seriously messed up, Lucas. And don't think for a second I taught you that.

"If anything happens, don't come running to me. Call your dad or your new mom.

"You know I'm not your mom anymore, so I will not help you."

I gave the manager George's number, hung up, and went right back to having fun with Annie.

That night, James brought out a giant birthday cake and lit all the candles himself.

He said he wanted to make up for all the birthdays we never got to spend together.

That was when I found out Annie was not his biological daughter—he had adopted her.

Moreover, he adopted her on my birthday. So, every year, he and Annie would celebrate that day, just the two of them.

Meanwhile, I remembered how every one of my birthdays used to revolve around Lucas, and I'd never truly celebrated it on my own.

When he was little, he would shove food into my mouth with his tiny hands and giggle like it was the best thing ever.

However, once he got older, George started taking him to his mom's house more often, and Lucas became colder and more distant.

He started looking at me with disgust.

He hated the old neighborhood and me.

Just like his grandma, he thought I was not good enough for his dad.

Eventually, he stopped calling me "Mom" and just called me, "Hey."

Annie looked up at me with that sweet smile of hers and asked, "Ms. Malone, can I call you Mommy?"

I gently pinched her soft little cheek. "Of course you can, Annie! You're way too cute not to."

Her whole face lit up like a blooming flower as she threw her arms around me. "Mommy, I love you!"

See? I don't need George or his son to feel loved.

I am not worthless.

Time flew again. In just over two weeks, the weather turned cold. So, James and I took Annie to the mall to pick out some warm clothes.

On the third floor, she spotted this smart robot doll she adored.

I had not really gotten her a proper gift yet, so I decided to buy it for her.

However, right as I reached for it, someone suddenly stepped in front of me.

It was Lucas. He stood there glaring at me, full of attitude. "I want that robot. Buy it for me."

Behind him, Jasmine came strolling over, arm in arm with George.

"No wonder people say Lucas doesn't have a mom," she said mockingly. "You'd rather play family with someone else than be with your own husband and kid. Jess, you've really outdone yourself."

I glanced at them but did not even bother replying. I just turned back to the sales clerk to ask about the robot.

George did not like that. He let go of Jasmine and grabbed my arm.

"You're still my wife. And now you're out here openly dating some guy? Do you even respect our marriage?"

I slapped his hand away without thinking.

"Mr. Finnegan, for twelve years, the only person you've cared about is Jasmine. Did you ever treat me like your wife?

"We're signing the divorce papers tomorrow. And now you suddenly remember I'm your wife? Don't make me laugh."

He opened his mouth to argue, but James stepped in front of me, blocking him like a wall.

George had no choice but to stand there, furious, eyes burning into me.

I did not even look at him. I handed the clerk my card. "We'll take the robot."

Lucas smirked, thinking the toy was for him.