"The baby's still asleep. We should get some rest—you know how wild she gets when she's slept enough."
His face was calm, even gentle.
I dug my nails into my palms so hard they broke the skin. I didn't feel it.
I hated this. The way he dodged and deflected.
He was the one who'd done something wrong. How could he stand there so composed?
"What about Adela?" I mocked. "You love her so much—aren't you afraid she'll be heartbroken if you don't go to Harbor City? Or are you just scared that breaking your promise will bring lightning down on your head?"
His expression stayed flat.
"Roberta, those kids love the pork buns from that place in Southridge. Don't forget to pick some up tomorrow."
This was how Kevin always was.
The colder he acted on the surface, the more clearly he drew his lines, the deeper the feelings he was hiding.
It used to be that way with me. Now it was the same with Adela Fox.
I wanted to rip that mask off his face.
I pulled open the drawer and took out a stack of letters. Fighting back the nausea rising in my stomach, I read them aloud, my voice dripping with venom.
"Adela, you're like a cloud in the sky—untouched, unstained. When I see you, I finally understand that something this pure and clear can exist in this world."
"Everyone says clouds drift away. But I want to keep you tucked inside my heart, year after year, protecting you, keeping you clean and whole."
"All I want in this life is to drift through the clouds with you, never apart, morning or night."
"Adela, the woman who shares my bed isn't the one in my heart. Only in my dreams, late at night, can I still see your face—so pure it makes my heart ache."
Kevin's composure finally cracked. He lost control and shouted, "Shut up! Roberta, I made one mistake! Haven't I paid enough for it this past year?"
"It's over and done with—why do you keep dragging it up?"
I laughed coldly, grabbed the women's lotus-print panties, and flung them at his face.
"I'm the one dragging it up? Oh, your love letters to her were so touching, I just had to keep them. To remind you that you've got a pure, beautiful Adela Fox tucked away in your heart!"
"And you call that paying for it? Poppy Abbott isn't just my daughter. Taking care of her is your responsibility—nothing more!"
Kevin had always been the romantic type. When he loved someone, he'd pull out all these sappy gestures.