Mario jingled the bag in his hand. On his face, he attached a sheepish grin to appease me.

Men were all the same. No matter how unforgivable their actions, they would just play like they were dumb and pretend nothing had happened.

They thought all it took was a little sweet talk to smooth things over with their woman. What if that didn’t work? He would sleep with her. If that still didn’t work? Then start throwing tantrums.

I glanced at the seafood chowder and took a deep breath before saying, "I'm not supposed to eat seafood chowder during postpartum recovery."

Mario’s expression stiffened. Frustrated, he slammed the seafood chowder down on the table.

He scolded, "Kelly, it seems you're just making an excuse to make a fuss. I know women in coastal cities eat crab right after giving birth."

I did not argue. Instead, I quietly looked down, focused on tending to the baby and said without touching the subject he asked, "I’m moving into the postpartum care center the day after tomorrow. Only one person is allowed to stay with me, so I asked Cissy."

Then I added, "As for you, you should just stay with your daughter and ex-wife."

Mario's face darkened when he heard this, "Didn’t we agree that I’d go with you?"

Me and Mario had booked the postpartum care center together. Back then, he had sworn up and down that no matter what, he would be there for me and the baby. 

However now, I did not need him anymore. Even the baby did not need me anymore.

"Mario, we're getting …."

"Mario! Tara is having a fever!"

Lilith's voice suddenly cut my words. She suddenly came from outside the door and rushed in. She was holding her daughter with a panicked expression.

"How did she get a fever?" After he said that, Mario turned and left resolutely.

Lilith did not even spare a single glance at the baby in my arms, as if he had nothing to do with her.

At that moment, it hit me. The baby may not have been mine, but both of us had been discarded like trash. We both had served our purpose and had to be thrown away.

This whole situation had been a twisted thrill-seeking scheme for them. It was a game they started without any intention of taking responsibility for the consequences.

For the first time, I realized that the baby and I were probably the two most pathetic people in the world.

A sharp ringtone snapped me out of my thoughts. An unfamiliar number flashed on the screen. I answered.