Chapter 06
He's not coming
Cecily
The truth sinks in slowly. I take a breath, swallow the bitterness gathering at the back of my throat, and turn toward Alicia.
She’s been waiting patiently, perched on the edge of the couch, careful not to wrinkle her dress.
So sure that any minute now her father will arrive, just like he promised, and they’ll take the photos together.
I sit beside her, wearing a smile that never quite reaches my eyes.
“Sweetheart, your dad just texted. He had an emergency and won’t make it in time.”
Her face falters. Just a flicker, a tremor of disappointment, but it’s enough to undo me.
“He’s really upset he won’t get to see you before you leave,” I add. “But he asked me to take lots of pictures so he can see you later.”
“Did he really ask for that many pictures?” she whispers, her voice uncertain.
“Yes, lots,” I rush out, my smile stretching too wide.
When I glance up, Ethan’s eyes are on me. His jaw is tight, the muscle there ticking.
He knows. He knows there was no text. That his father simply isn’t coming. And while Colin has been late before, even on important days, he has never not shown up. Especially not when it comes to his little princess.
He starts to speak, but I shake my head. Not now. Please.
His nostrils flare, anger and disappointment flashing across his face before he reins it in. He doesn’t say a word. Not in front of his sister.
“Come on,” I say softly. “Let’s take some photos for your dad.”
Alicia nods, blinking fast. We spend the next twenty minutes trying to turn the ache into smiles, her spinning in her dress, Ethan pretending to tease her, me catching every frame I can. There’s laughter, even if it’s fragile. For a moment, she forgets.
Then Ethan insists on a few pictures with me, and finally, we set the timer for one of all three of us. A still frame of a family pretending everything’s fine.
When it’s time to go, the limousine Karen—Sofia’s mother—arranged pulls up to the driveway.
Alicia’s eyes light up instantly, her earlier sadness fading into excitement.
Ethan helps her collect her things and walks her out, offering to ride with her before meeting his friends.
Before he leaves, he pauses at the door and meets my eyes. I hold my breath as that protective look settles in. The one he gets when he’s angry on her behalf… or on mine.
And then, they’re gone.
I sink onto the couch, the silence of the house folding around me. The lie sits heavy in my chest, pulsing with every heartbeat, replaying the look in Alicia’s eyes. That small, wounded disbelief.
I keep waiting for the sound of the door, for his voice, for any sign that maybe he still remembers how to show up for us.
But the house stays still. And all I can do is sit there, clutching my phone, and pretend I still believe he will.
“Ceci.”
I wake to Colin’s voice in my ear, his warm hand cupping my cheek. For a second, I lean into it, letting myself sink into the comfort. Until the thought slams into me.
Alicia.
My eyes snap open to find him leaning over me. I pull away instantly, pushing myself upright on the couch.
“What time is it?” I mumble, still half-asleep.
He glances at his watch, taking just long enough to make me wonder if he’s forgotten how to read the thing.
“About nine forty.”
“Perfect timing to pick Alicia up from the party… and, conveniently, not enough time to actually see her before she leaves.” The irony in my voice is plain.
He closes his eyes, dragging in a slow breath.
“I’m sorry. There was an emergency I couldn’t avoid. Otherwise I would have come earlier.”
I tilt my head at him, studying him carefully. “Interesting. That’s the exact same lie I told her.”
His eyes widen a fraction. “What do you mean?”
“Exactly what you heard, Colin. I lied to our daughter. I told her you’d texted about an emergency you couldn’t get out of. Because no matter how old she gets, she’ll always put you on a pedestal… and thinking you don’t care would hurt her far more than she’ll ever let on.”
His shoulders sag as he steps closer, hands coming up to cradle my face.
“Don’t say that. You know I love our kids, and you, more than anything,” he murmurs, brushing a kiss against my cheek. “I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to her. To all of you.”
He keeps going, placing soft kisses along my face. My nose, my cheekbone, my eyelids, my forehead. I close my eyes and breathe out slowly.
“I lied to her, Colin.”
“I know, love.”
“I hate lies. And Ethan could tell I was lying. What am I teaching him… watching me scramble to smooth things over, once again, because you weren’t here?”
He rests his forehead against mine, the tip of his nose brushing mine.
“I’m really sorry, Ceci. What else do you want me to say?”
I step back, just enough to look him straight in the eyes.
“Be here for them. Time is moving, and you’re missing pieces of their lives. The company will survive. But our children change with every season.”
A smile tugs at his lips. “Did I ever tell you how much I love that lyrical tone of yours?”
I wrinkle my nose at him and move to step away, but he pulls me in, kissing me. Slow at first, tasting, coaxing… then deeper, his tongue brushing against mine, his arms gathering me tight against his chest.
When I feel him guiding me toward the stairs, his intention clear, I break the kiss, pressing my palms flat against his chest as I push him back.
“I have to pick Alicia up from prom soon.”
He lets his head rest against my shoulder with a frustrated sigh. “I’ll take you,” he murmurs, kissing my forehead before stepping back.
He reaches into his jacket pocket for the car keys when something stops me.
“That’s not the suit you were wearing this morning.”
Colin keeps his back to me as he answers. “Little accident at work. New associate. Cup of matcha,” he says with a low chuckle, still walking toward the door. “I had to shower at the office and change. You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had.”
I follow him to the car, and for the entire drive my thoughts keep returning to his words, and to everything unsaid. The way his back stayed turned to me. The way he never once met my eyes.
On paper, nothing he said is suspicious. Accidents happen. He’s a workaholic; he’s dealt with a hundred emergencies over the years. None of this is new.
And yet… something in me is tugging hard, refusing to let it go. A gnawing, persistent knowing that there’s something beneath the surface he isn’t saying. I try to push it down, tell myself I’m imagining things, but the doubt keeps clawing its way back up.
I lean my head against the cold window, letting the glass steady me, trying to slow the part of my mind that’s suddenly, fully alert.
As soon as Alicia spots Colin waiting outside the hall, she shouts, “Daddy!”
She’s such a daddy’s girl. And despite everything swirling in my chest tonight, I can’t help but smile when he pulls her into a tight hug, eyes falling shut as he buries his face in her hair and presses a long, tender kiss there.
Alicia smooths the skirt of her pink dress, smiling as she turns to show it off. Colin offers one compliment after another, his voice warm and sure, and with each one her smile grows brighter, unguarded, as if she’s soaking up every second of her father’s attention.
“Mommy, we can still take some pics! Come, Daddy!”
I pull my phone from the pocket of my jeans, matching her excitement with a soft smile. “As many as you want, sweetheart. As many as you want.”
I don’t stop taking pictures. When Colin twirls her and she throws her head back in laughter, I capture it all. Every frame, every second thinking, almost painfully:
This is the man I married.
On the drive home, Alicia chatters nonstop about prom. How incredible it was, how Karen nailed every single detail, right down to the live band everyone’s been talking about lately. Her excitement fills the car, buoyant and contagious.
Once we’re home, I walk upstairs with her and help loosen the pins from her elaborate hairstyle, careful not to tangle her curls any more than they already are. I kiss her forehead, wish her sweet dreams, and then step back, giving her space and privacy to get ready for bed.
When I walk out, Colin is waiting in the hallway outside her room.
“Do you think she’s forgiven me yet?” he asks as I close Alicia’s door, and we start down the hallway toward our bedroom.
There’s a hesitant tilt to his voice that softens something in me, and I reach for his hand.
“You know Alicia can’t stay mad at you for long. She’s your little princess.”
His mouth curves into a relieved smile as he pulls me into a hug, the tension easing right out of him. He lowers his head and kisses me. Soft at first, but the moment his hands slip beneath my shirt, I stop him.
“Colin,” I breathe, his lips already tracing a path down my neck. “Colin, stop. I just came to change into something more comfortable. I need to go downstairs and work a bit on my new assignment.”
He nibbles at the base of my neck, his voice rough as he murmurs, “Can’t I convince you to stay? Just a little?”
I press a quick kiss to his lips and pull back.
“No. Not tonight. I’m not in the mood. You said it was a long day. I think you should rest.”
His jaw tightens, a tiny flicker, easy to miss unless you know him as intimately as I do. I don’t say no to him often, and resisting him is its own kind of ache, because I know exactly what he can do to my body… and exactly how easily I could give in.
But I’m not letting him use my body as a shortcut to forget the weight of yet another promise he broke.
Colin
The smell of bacon and fresh coffee hits me as I come down the stairs.
Ceci’s at the stove, flipping pancakes while listening to yet another audiobook.
“Good morning, love,” I murmur as I slip my arms around her from behind, brushing my nose along her neck and inhaling her scent. Just breathing her in is enough to settle me. “Didn’t feel you come to bed last night. Did you stay up working?”