Today was Ruby's family sports day, and technically, I should have been the only parent there.
But the moment I arrived at the venue, I saw Rowan.
My face was cold, my tone distant. "Why are you here?"
Rowan explained softly, "Ruby got her clothes wet while playing with water at lunch. The teacher couldn't get ahold of you, so she contacted me."
I pressed him, "Then why are you still here?"
He replied, "Ruby said today was sports day. I've never missed one before, and I want to stay with her."
I stayed silent and didn't drive him away.
Even though our daughter had long been disappointed in him, deep down, the child still held a sliver of hope for her father. I didn't want to crush that hope in front of everyone.
All afternoon, we took part in activities with Ruby, just like before.
