Chapter 2

As soon as I opened the door, a remote control crashed to the floor in front of me, shattering into pieces.

"Do you want me to starve? You're getting back so late!" Harley snapped from the couch, shooting me a glare.

I would have scolded him in the past, but not today. I simply turned and headed to the kitchen in silence.

By the time I brought the dinner out, Gary had also come out of his room.

So, he was home after all.

As always, I set their plates in front of them. Harley didn't touch his- he just picked at the food. Gary gave him a quiet reminder, "Just eat."

"I'm getting tired of the same meals every day," Harley complained, casting a glance my way.

"Mom, seriously, you should take some cooking classes or something. You've been making the same bland stuff for years."

My hand paused.

Back then, I even earned a certification in nutrition to make sure they ate balanced meals. Harley used to say my cooking was great.

Other parents used to come to me for advice- asking how I managed to raise such a healthy child.

But now, looking at Harley's disdainful expression, I fell silent.

Even the best food got old after a while.

"I'm done," Harley muttered, dropping his fork with a clatter before storming off to his room.

That left just Gary and me.

Gary offered me a piece of roast beef. "Harley said he grabbed a bite outside earlier. Guess he's not hungry anymore."

I ignored the beef and just ate the mashed potatoes.

"About today- don't get the wrong idea. I didn't know Zoey was Harley's teacher," Gary said suddenly.

"Got it," I said softly, choosing not to call out the lie.

He had never offered to take Harley to school before. Three months ago, when I was down with a fever and couldn't get out of bed, I asked him to go. He did, though clearly unwilling.

After that, Gary suddenly said he would handle Harley's school drop-offs from then on.

He said he didn't want me exhausting myself by getting up so early, and I was touched, thinking he finally cared. But in the end, it was just so he could see Zoey.

I really had been fooling myself.

Looking back, all he ever did was drive Harley to school. I was still the one getting up early every day to make them breakfast.

Gary seemed like he wanted to say more, but his vibrating phone interrupted him.

He glanced at the screen, and whatever he saw brought a smile to his face.

In the past, Gary had a rule against using phones during meals because Harley wouldn't eat properly. But that changed this year.

Maybe I was staring too hard, because Gary put down his phone and said, "It's just the school asking for uniform sizes. Give me Harley's measurements."

"How come I didn't know..." I started, then remembered- Gary had joined the class parent group on Facebook and told me there was no need for me to be in it.

I lowered my head. "Got it."

Suddenly, something cold touched my forehead. I flinched and stared at Gary, startled.

Gary's eyes flashed with displeasure. "I was checking if you had a fever."

It took me a second to realize- he was wondering why I hadn't asked anything. Normally, I would've pressed him, maybe even made a fuss.

But now, with just two weeks left before I leave, there was no point in upsetting myself.

I stood up. "I'm full," I said, heading into the kitchen, unwilling to see Gary's half-spoken words hanging in the air.