Chapter 16
My rage flared at Xavier’s words. His morals had become utterly twisted because of Yvonne
and Jared.
I said coldly, “Xavier, remember this–no matter what happens to me and your mom, you two will always be brothers. If you hurt Jonas like this, you’re hurting your family. Do you understand?”
Xavier huffed, then turned and walked away.
I shook my head and scooped Jonas up.
“Daddy, can we go home? I don’t want to go to the amusement park anymore,” he said quietly.
1 kissed his forehead. “Alright. Let’s go home.”
After speaking with the teacher, I brought my son home.
Then, I shot Yvonne a message to briefly explain the situation and told her that I wouldn’t bring Jonas over that night.
Her reply was swift, “Suit yourself.”
Looking at the apathetic reply, I shook my head with a wry smile. There was a time when I thought we could build a happy family together. Now, the idea seemed so absurd.
At night, I spent some time playing building blocks with Jonas before telling him a bedtime story. After watching him fall asleep peacefully, I felt slightly relieved.
I left the room and gave my brother a call. “Hayden, are you free? I want to talk to you.”
He seemed to notice the weariness in my voice. “What’s wrong, Cole? Are you having some trouble?”
I let out a wry laugh. “The divorce is far more complicated than I had imagined.”
“Told you so.” Hayden sighed. “It’s not a good idea to solve your problems with a divorce. For the children, it’s particularly-”
I cut him short, “Hayden, I know you want the best for me. But there’s no turning back for me and Yvonne. Now, I’m most worried about the children.”
I told him what happened that day. He was silent for a while before saying, “Cole, you have to be strong. For Jonas, you have to bear the pressure. As for Xavier, we need to find a way to spend more time with him. We can’t let Yvonne lead him astray.”
I nodded. “I understand. It’s just that… I feel so powerless sometimes.”
“Cole, remember–you’re a member of the Joplin family.” Hayden’s voice became solemn. “A
2/2
Joplin never gets beaten down. Your responsibility right now is to take good care of Jonas. Give him a happy and healthy environment to grow up in. Don’t dwell on the other things.”
After hanging up, I stood on the balcony and looked out at the distant city lights. Hayden’s words had given me some strength, but the emptiness in my heart remained.
The next day, I drove Jonas to school as usual. Unsurprisingly, we ran into Yvonne and Xavier at the school entrance.
I crouched and said to Jonas, who was beside me, “Go on. Pay attention in class. I’ll pick you up after school.”
Jonas nodded, greeted Yvonne timidly, and quickly walked into school.
I got up to leave, but Yvonne stopped me. She said, “Cole, I have something to tell you.”
I turned around and looked at her with a stolid expression. “What is it?”
With a frown, she said, “Don’t you think you’re too cold to Xavier? In any case, he’s still your
son.
I scoffed. “Oh? He doesn’t seem to think so.”
Yvonne looked upset. “Cole, you’ve changed. You weren’t like this before.”
Looking at her, I felt a wave of exhaustion washed over me.
Chapter 12
