Ava chuckled dismissively.
"What's there to fear? He's just my little lapdog. The most he'll do is stop being my puppy for a couple of days, then he'll come running back on his own."
Her lover let out another burst of obnoxious laughter.
I couldn't bear to listen any longer and quickly walked away.
At the hospital, I helped the kids change out of their hospital gowns.
They looked up at me, alone, and asked.
"Dad, where's Mom?"
After getting them dressed, I knelt down and looked them in the eyes.
"Mom's not coming. It's just us now. Son, daughter, I want to talk to you about something. From now on, it'll just be the three of us. How about we live without Mom, okay?"
My seven-year-old daughter and six-year-old son exchanged a glance before saying in unison.
"Okay, we don't need Mom!"
My son added.
"It doesn't make a difference anyway. Mom spends less time with us than the nanny."
I didn't return home. Instead, I took the kids to my parents' house.
My parents could tell something was troubling me. After putting the kids to sleep, they came to check on me.
"Son, are you and Ava having some issues?"
I sighed deeply.