He Remembered His Ex, But Forgot Our Daughter

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At the party, my husband had a gift for everyone.

He even gave his ex-girlfriend, Maya, a bottle of designer perfume worth over five hundred dollars.

But when he got to our daughter and me, his hands were empty.

Everyone at the table froze. Wait, Zach, where are Chloe and Lilys gifts? Isn't today Lily's birthday?

Zach blinked, waving his hand dismissively.

"Chloe and I have been married for seven years. We don't need that stuff. And Lily is just a kid, she doesn't care about these things."

Our friends exchanged awkward glances. The atmosphere in the bistro instantly turned tense.

Someone tried to break the ice. "Oh, come on, Zach must have prepared a huge surprise and is saving it for later!"

The others laughed along to ease the tension, but I couldn't force a smile.

Lily looked up at me and whispered, "Mommy, did Daddy forget my birthday?"

I gently stroked her hair and whispered back, "How about we leave Daddy behind, okay?"

Maya smelled the perfume, her eyes lighting up.

"You actually remembered I love this scent? I only mentioned it to you years ago."

Zach replied casually, "When have I ever forgotten anything about you?"

A few people at the table started teasing them.

"Alright, alright, we get it. You have a great memory, Zach."

"Honestly, Chloe is so lucky. With Zachs memory, he probably never forgets an anniversary or a birthday!"

Zach smiled and turned to look at me.

I didn't say a word. I just kept my head down, wiping Lilys hands with a napkin.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a cheap plastic keychain, and tossed it to Lily.

"Here. Go play with this."

Lily stared at it but didn't reach out to take it.

Maya laughed from across the table.

"Zach, you are so cheap! Kids don't like things like that. Lily was staring at my plush keychain last time, she clearly loved that one."

Lily shrank back into my side, shaking her head. "Daddy, I don't want this."

Zachs face darkened. "I bought you a toy and you're rejecting it? Why are you being so spoiled?"

I frowned and pulled Lily closer to me.

Maya chimed in, "Yeah, Chloe, are you sure you're not babying her too much?"

I took a deep breath and picked Lily up. "Lily isn't being ungrateful. She just doesn't like this."

The table went dead silent for a few seconds.

Zachs expression shifted, but he quickly forced a smile. "Fine, what do you want then? Tell me, and Ill buy it."

Lily whispered, "I want the chocolate cake Mommy talked about this morning."

Zach looked confused. "What cake?"

I didn't answer. I carried Lily over to the lounge sofa in the corner of the room.

Lily whispered in my ear, "Mommy, does Daddy not know it's my birthday today?"

I brushed her hair back. "Daddy forgot."

She nodded, not fully understanding, and buried her face in my shoulder.

Zach didn't look at me again. He turned back to Maya and kept chatting.

They were already reminiscing about high school, laughing hysterically.

I looked down at Lily, my heart completely cold.

This was our seventh year of marriage.

He remembered Mayas favorite woody-scented perfume. He remembered our friend Carters bad neck.

But he couldn't remember his own daughter's birthday.

Zach stopped talking, and Maya kept her head down. The atmosphere in the room was incredibly awkward.

My phone buzzed. It was a text from my lawyer.

I glanced at it, then locked the screen.

On my way to the restroom, I heard laughter behind me.

As soon as the restroom door shut, the noise from the hallway grew louder.

"Come on, Truth or Dare! Maya, you lost! Truth or Dare?"

Maya giggled. "Dare."

"I dare you to kiss Zach right now!"

I didn't hear Zach say no. I leaned against the bathroom stall, forcing down the lump in my throat.

On the phone, my lawyer asked me, "Mrs. Miller, have you reviewed the divorce papers? If there are no issues, you can sign them."

I closed my eyes. Outside, after a brief silence, a loud cheer erupted.

"Yes, Ive read them," I said. "Ill mail them to you tomorrow."

When I walked out of the restroom, the lounge was empty.

A waiter was clearing the table and looked surprised to see me.

"Are you Zach's wife? He said they were going to a late-night club and already paid the bill."

I looked down at Lily. She was rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"Mommy, where is Daddy?"

"Daddy is busy. Let's go home first."

I slowly unclenched my fists and let out a quiet sigh.

He forgot about us again.

It was so late that I had to wait on the curb for a long time to get an Uber.

The moment we walked through the front door, Zach called.

His voice was filled with harsh accusation. "Why didn't you follow us? Do you have any idea how long Ive been looking for you?"

I put the sleeping Lily onto her bed and lowered my voice. "When you guys left, I was in the restroom taking a call."

"What call could be that important?"

"My lawyer."

He paused. "What lawyer?"

"My divorce lawyer."

The line went dead silent.

After a long pause, he finally spoke. "What are you throwing a tantrum for now?"

"Zach, I'm not throwing a tantrum. Ive signed the papers. Ill give them to you tomorrow."

"Are you insane? You're divorcing me over a stupid mistake?"

"Its not a stupid mistake. Today is Lily's birthday. Shes been looking forward to your gift since last month. But you never care."

He didn't say another word and hung up.

I sat by Lilys bed, watching her peaceful face.

She rolled over, mumbling in her sleep, "Daddy... birthday..."

I tucked her in, and tears finally ran down my face.

Actually, when we first got married, Zach was incredibly sweet to me.

He always chose restaurants I liked and bought me clothes that suited me.

When we got married, I remarked that the rented wedding dress was so beautiful. He went ahead and bought it, saying we would wear it again on our anniversary.

When I was pregnant, he never let me lift a finger.

When I craved mango crpes in the middle of the night, he drove across the city to find them for me.

Once I casually mentioned I wanted jasmine tea. I forgot about it minutes later, but he soon handed me a bottle, wiping sweat from his forehead, making sure it was room temperature so it wouldn't hurt my stomach.

But just last month, he mistakenly thought the wedding dress was a rental we forgot to return. Claiming it took up too much space in the closet, he threw it away.

In its place was a box of expensive jewelry.

He said Mayas birthday was in six months, and he was buying her gifts in advance.

I stared at the box for a long time before nodding.

His memory was indeed amazing.

Every single piece in that box was exactly what Maya liked.

In his mind, Mayas preferences could be stored forever.

But I was just a passing guest. I had my time, and now I had to leave.

The next afternoon, Zach came home with Maya, laughing and talking.

Maya was holding two cups of drinks. She smiled as she walked in. "Chloe, we passed by the cafe and grabbed some smoothies for you and Lily."

Lily was playing with her Legos in the living room. She looked up, then looked back down.

Maya handed a cup to Lily. "Lily, look what I got for you. Try it."

Lily shook her head. "That has mango in it. I can't drink that. It makes me break out in really itchy hives."

Zach snapped from behind, "Look at how you've raised her, Chloe. Shes scared of eating anything."

Maya gasped. "Oh my god, I am so sorry! I totally forgot Lily is allergic to mangoes."

Zach patted her shoulder. "Its fine. If she won't drink it, you can have it."

Maya took the cup back and started drinking it herself.

I watched them, staying silent.

Lily pulled on my shirt, whispering, "Mommy, did I say something wrong?"

I knelt down and told her, "No, baby. You did perfectly."

Zach stood up and looked at me. "Chloe, we need to talk. Privately."

"Theres nothing to talk about."

"What is your problem? It was just one forgotten birthday!"

"Zach, you knew yesterday was her birthday, and you didn't even bother to buy a card."

"I can change."

"You said that four years ago."

Maya whispered from the side, "Chloe, Zach really knows he messed up. Just forgive him this once."

I looked at her cold. "This is between my husband and me."

Maya lowered her head, her eyes welling with tears.

Zach sighed and grabbed Mayas arm. "Let's go."

As they reached the door, Zach turned around. "Chloe, Ill talk to you later."

The door shut.

Lily looked up at me. "Mommy, Daddy left again. When is he coming back?"

I didn't know how to answer her.

Suddenly, everything felt so ridiculous.

When Lily was one, Zach set up a trust fund for her, saying she could use it when she turned eighteen.

A few days ago, I checked the account. The money had been cleaned out long ago.

When did he stop caring about me? When did he stop caring about our daughter?

At 8:00 PM, Zach still wasn't home.

He sounded excited on the phone. "What are the odds! The seafood place Maya wanted to try finally had an opening! I invited Carter and the guys out. I won't be home tonight!"

I looked at the cold dinner on the table.

The ice cream cake had already melted into a sticky puddle.

"But you promised..."

He hung up.

A text popped up: "It's too loud here. I'll head back after dinner. You and Lily go to sleep."

My fingers hovered over the screen, but I didn't have the energy to type.

After a long moment, I opened Instagram.

The top post was a video of Zach putting food on Mayas plate.

Maya's caption read: *All these years, and you still remember what I like to eat.*

Zachs voice in the video was clear: *Of course. How could I ever forget anything about you?*

I closed my eyes. My phone vibrated with a new email.

*Hello Mrs. Miller, your divorce petition has been finalized and sent to your address.*

I stood up and scraped the dinner and the melted cake into the trash.

I had wanted to give Lily a proper birthday celebration tonight.

Now, the "Happy Birthday" chocolate plaque was melted and distorted, looking incredibly ugly.

The cake couldn't wait for him.

And Lily and I didn't want to wait anymore, either.

Zach didn't get back until midnight.

"You're still awake? Sorry, I forgot to bring you some cake. But Maya made some homemade cookies for Lily to apologize."

I took one look at the box. They were peanut butter cookies.

"You eat them," I said.

"Chloe, seriously? There's a limit to your tantrums. Maya went out of her way to"

"Lily is allergic to peanuts."

He froze.

"Since when?"

"Since she was born."

His tone turned defensive. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? Maya made these specifically for Lily. You're wasting her sweet gesture!"

I turned around and looked at him holding the cookie jar with a frustrated look on his face.

Zach saw the look on my face and softened his tone.

But his voice still held that familiar sense of superiority, like he was making a grand sacrifice.

"Fine, fine. I won't bring peanut butter cookies home for Lily anymore. Happy?"

He let out a sigh.

As if he had made a massive compromise for me, and I should be grateful.

From beginning to end, he thought I was just throwing a tantrum, and that if he played along, this would blow over.

"Okay," I replied quietly.

I turned around and started putting our IDs and passports into a small backpack.

Zach sat at the dining table, eating one of the cookies, and looked up at me.

"A business trip?"

"I'm going back to my parents' place."

He nodded. "Right, you haven't been back to Ohio in a while."

"Oh, by the way, Maya said she loved that local organic honey and homemade hot sauce from your hometown. Make sure to bring some back for her."

"Check the label on the hot sauce, though. She doesn't eat peanuts."

I didn't reply.

Assuming I agreed, he stood up and rummaged through a drawer, pulling out a plastic bag.

"For the road. Don't go hungry."

It was a ziplock bag containing a half-eaten bag of chips and half a chocolate bar.

A few days ago, when Maya came over, Zach had bought hundreds of dollars worth of snacks for her. This was just what she left behind.

I walked past him and packed some tissues into my bag.

Zachs voice went cold. "Still mad?"

"I bought you things, I apologized. What more do you want from me?"

"Fine. Go back to your parents' for a few days to cool off. When you get back, we'll take Lily to that new escape room downtown. Maya already booked the tickets for us."

I kept my back to him, gently shaking my head. "No. Lily is afraid of the dark."

The next second, he grabbed my arm, forcing me to face him.

"Since when is Lily afraid of the dark?"

"Chloe, do you even consider me your husband?"

"You didn't tell me about the allergy, you didn't tell me about her being afraid of the dark. How was I supposed to know? You didn't say anything, and now you're mad at me!"

I looked into his angry eyes.

When we first got married, he always said I couldn't hide anything from him.

Whether it was good news or bad, he could read it off my face instantly.

But now, he couldn't see anything. He couldn't remember anything.

His phone rang on the table.

Zach let go of me and answered it. Mayas voice was loud and clear.

"How were the cookies? Did Lily like them? Are you guys okay now?"

Zach pinched the bridge of his nose, irritated. "No. Chloe says Lily is allergic to peanuts."

"Oh my god... I am so, so sorry! I didn't know she was allergic! Did you guys fight again? It's all my fault..."

Maya sounded frantic, apologizing repeatedly.

I looked at Zachs back and heard him take a deep breath.

"Its not your fault, Maya. She didn't tell me. She only has herself to blame."

Right. I only had myself to blame.

I bent down to put on my shoes and tied the laces.

"Why are you crying, Maya? I told you its not your fault. You had good intentions."

"Besides, even I didn't know Lily was allergic. How could you?"

I pulled my suitcase toward the door as he continued comforting her.

"Three years ago," I said, my voice calm, "I brought Lily to your office party. She accidentally ate a peanut butter pretzel. You were the one who rushed her to the ER. You promised me that night you would never let peanuts near her again."

"And when Carter organized an escape room for his birthday, you were the one who declined, saying Lily was too afraid of the dark to go."

"It seems even Maya remembers things better than you do."

Zach went completely stiff. His lips parted, but no sound came out.

I opened the nightstand drawer, pulled out the signed divorce papers, and placed them on the dining table under his coffee mug.

Then, I opened the front door and dragged my suitcase toward the elevator.

"Zach."

Across the threshold, I took one last look at the apartment.

"Let's get a divorce."