"Luke doesn't have a daddy. Can we share yours just for today?"

"Be a good girl and call me Uncle Arthur."

In the school hallway, my husband was crouching on the floor, gently coaxing our daughter.

Standing right behind him was his first love, and her son.

My seven-year-old daughter's eyes were red. Finally, she lowered her head and choked out a single, heartbreaking word:

"Uncle."

My husband looked visibly relieved.

He picked up his ex-girlfriend's son and walked into the activity room, leaving our daughter standing there all alone.

I watched the entire thing from around the corner.

Seeing my daughter's crushed expression, I walked over and took her hand.

"Don't cry, Lily. If he wants to be someone else's daddy so badly, then we don't need him anymore. Mommy will find you a new daddy."

~~~~~

Lily looked up, her eyes brimming with tears.

But she held them back, gripping my hand tightly and giving a firm nod.

"Okay. Lily wants a new daddy."

Holding her hand, I took a deep breath and pushed open the ajar door to the activity room.

The moment we walked in, I heard five-year-old Luke bossing my husband, Arthur, around with absolute entitlement.

"Daddy! Help me get that red roof!"

"Okay, right away. Careful not to get glue on your hands."

Arthur picked up the glue with a look of pure adoration, carefully applying it to the cardboard for Luke.

The surrounding parents smiled and chimed in.

"Luke, your dad is so good to you. He's so patient."

"Sarah, your husband is such a family man. I'm so jealous."

Hearing these comments, Arthur made absolutely no effort to correct them.

He just smiled, rubbed Luke's head, and kept helping him with the glue.

Sarah stood beside them, smiling sweetly.

Arthur was completely oblivious to the fact that his biological daughter was standing right in the doorway, staring at him in utter disappointment.

The handmade castle on the table was supposed to be Arthur's promise to Lily for her seventh birthday.

Lily had looked forward to it for an entire month. She had even drawn the blueprints herself.

Her only birthday wish was to build that castle with her daddy.

But just yesterday, Sarah posted on Instagram:

"Luke said he wanted a castle, and someone stayed up all night putting it together for him~"

The attached photo showed Arthur's back as he sat on the rug, painting the castle.

This was the "good husband" everyone was praising.

Last month, on Lily's birthday, she suddenly spiked a fever of 103 degrees in the middle of the night. She was burning up, curled under the blankets, crying out for her dad.

I was out of my mind with worry. I called him over a dozen times before Arthur finally picked up.

On the other end of the line, I could hear Luke throwing a loud, energetic tantrum.

"If she has a fever, give her medicine. What's the point of calling me?" Arthur's voice was dripping with impatience.

"There's a thunderstorm outside. Luke is too scared to sleep, and Sarah can't handle him alone."

"Lily is seven years old. Can she stop being so fragile?"

With that, he hung up on me.

That night, I stood in the pouring rain for half an hour, holding my delirious daughter in my arms, just to hail a cab.

Afterward, he never even asked how Lily was doing.

He gave all his patience, companionship, and fatherly love to another man's son.

Sarah spotted us and walked over in her little heels.

"Chloe, what took you so long?"

"I'm so sorry, Luke just wouldn't let Arthur go."

She crouched down slightly, leaning in toward Lily.

"I figured since Lily is always such a good girl, she definitely wouldn't mind lending her daddy to her little brother for a bit, right?"

Lily refused to answer her, shrinking back behind me in fear.

Arthur finally looked up.

When he saw Lily and me, the doting fatherly smile vanished from his face instantly, replaced by a deep, displeased frown.

He strode over, glaring at Lily, who was hiding behind me with guarded eyes. His tone was harsh.

"What are you doing just standing in the doorway? Didn't you already promise me out there, Lily?"

"Luke doesn't have a dad. He's pitiful enough as it is. You can't be this selfish."

Selfish?

A biological daughter wanting to call her own father "Dad" was now considered selfish.

If this had been any day before today, I probably would have coaxed Lily into playing along just to keep the peace in the family.

But looking at Arthur's entitled, self-righteous face, I suddenly didn't even have the energy to argue with him.

"You're right. Luke really does need a dad," I said flatly. My voice wasn't loud, but it was clear enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Under Arthur's stunned gaze, I walked right up to the table, picked up the handmade castle, and chucked it straight into the nearest trash can.

"Since you love being a free dad to someone else's kid so much, knock yourself out."

Without sparing him another glance, I took Lily's hand, turned around, and walked out of the activity room.

"Chloe, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Arthur bellowed furiously behind me.

I didn't look back.

The moment I stepped out the front doors, I pulled out my phone and swiftly blocked Arthur's number.