Gradually, my daughter stopped crying, barely eating any dinner, silent and staring out the window.
I closed the door and called my lawyer.
"Please draft a divorce agreement for me."
The sound of the door opening reached me, and John hummed a tune as he walked in.
My daughter forced a smile and ran out to take slippers off the rack for him.
"Dad, you’re back..."
John smiled, looking at his phone, casually replying with a nonchalant "Hmm."
My daughter held up her summer assignment in front of him.
"Dad, can you come with Mom and me to the museum to film the video?"
John didn’t even glance at it, pushing the paper aside, irritated.
"Work’s been a bit busy lately. I’ll come when I have time."
"When will you have time? If you don’t go now, I’ll be going back to school soon."
My usually sensible daughter stubbornly sought an answer.
While we were at a stand-off, the doorbell rang, and John excitedly opened it, bringing in a cake.
He finally put down his phone and waved at my daughter standing beside him.
"I know you were upset today, so I got you a cake. Come try it!"
My daughter instantly cheered up, running to open my door.
"Mom, come out, Dad bought us cake!"
She took the cake from John, biting into it eagerly.
"Dad is the best dad in the world..."
My heart sank, but in the next second, my daughter suddenly gasped, her face flushed, and she collapsed to the ground.
I looked at the cake, furious.
"Don’t you know she’s allergic to nuts?"
"I had no idea! Who told her to eat so quickly like a starving ghost?"
I didn’t have time to argue, quickly grabbing my daughter and rushing to the hospital.
It was late into the night before my daughter was out of danger.
She lay pale, forcing a smile as she patted John’s hand.
"Dad, I’m fine. Don’t worry."
John, perhaps out of guilt, finally agreed to accompany her to the museum the next day to film the video.
His phone rang, and faintly, I could hear a woman’s soft voice.
"John, Ben had a nightmare and can’t sleep. He’s crying and asking for you..."
John’s face changed instantly, and without thinking, he began to leave.
My daughter worriedly grabbed his sleeve, "Dad, you promised to film with me tomorrow."
John patted her head.
"I remember, sweetheart. I have an urgent matter tonight, but I’ll definitely come to the museum tomorrow."
With John’s promise, my daughter stayed up excited, planning the video shoot in her notebook.