"Grace, you're not going to hold a grudge against a child, are you?"
Meeting his gaze, I placed the pancake on the table, forcing a smile. "Of course not."
Alex's expression softened. He picked up Ethan. "Auntie Grace made this pancake for you. See how it tastes."
I quietly left the room. As I closed the door, I saw Emily's triumphant smile.
I realized then our peaceful life was about to get complicated.
Purposely closing the door with a bang, I hoped he might come after me.
But he didn't. Maybe he was lost in the happiness of another little boy calling him "Daddy."
Standing in the dark night, I held my stomach, my thoughts filled with the scene from that day.
Two weeks earlier, I'd received a call from one of Alex's colleagues.
"Grace, come quickly. Dr. Carter just got into an argument with a patient. He's really upset."
As I hurried to the hospital by cab, suppressing the urge to be sick multiple times along the way, everything started to unravel when I arrived. I saw a middle-aged man yelling profanities at Alex. Alex, who'd been so privileged his whole life, had never faced such disrespect. His face reddened with anger, and I saw he was about to throw a nearby chair.