It was when they reached the door—

Thud.

Roderick closed the door right in front of her face. He leaned against the door and looked down at Erica. With desperate eyes.

Those unforgettable eyes resembled the moment at the inn when he had begged that the woman must be saved, making Erica even more furious.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“Erica, don’t be like this. Listen to me.”

“Open this door.”

“It will only take a moment.”

“Do I need to scream and have everyone in this building come running before you’ll open it?”

Knowing her character—that she would do exactly what she threatened—Roderick finally opened the door obediently. Erica squeezed through the narrow opening before the door was fully open.

“Bye, mister I don’t know.”

As they were leaving the corridor, Eric waved goodbye to Roderick, which relieved Erica.

‘It seems he hasn’t told him he’s his Dad yet.’

She had expected him to immediately reveal himself as Eric’s father the moment they met, trying to win the child over, but surprisingly he hadn’t.

The first thing she did upon returning home was to secure the door firmly. The next thing to secure was Eric.

“The mister didn’t drag me away. I was coming out of our house when I bumped into him and Elodie. The mister asked, ‘Eric, would you like to come play at our house?’ so I said, ‘Yes!'”

“Why did you do that?”

“Why not?”

Why not? Erica was speechless, just blinking her eyes.

“I did exactly what Mom said.”

“What?”

“I only played inside the building, and since we’ve met twice now, he’s not a stranger anymore, and you never said I couldn’t play with that mister, right?”

Look at this. The way he preemptively blocked any scolding that might come from his mother’s mouth showed he had some guilt.

“But Mom.”

Perhaps he had already noticed something.

“Why can’t I play with that mister?”

Because he’s your Dad. A piece of trash called your father who abandoned both you and me after enjoying one night with your mother, even though he had another woman and child.

How could she say such things to a child? Erica wanted Eric to grow up knowing nothing about it.

Facing the child’s eyes demanding an answer made her feel like a cornered mouse. After contemplating for a long while, Erica finally chose her words.

“Eric, I’m sorry. Mom lied to you.”

“That’s okay.”

Eric forgave her immediately before even properly hearing what she had to say, then asked:

“But what lie?”

“Actually, Mom and that mister know each other.”

“Heh, I knew it.”

Yes, I underestimated how smart you are.

“The mister and Mom were friends long ago. But we fought, so now we’re not on good terms.”

“Why?”

“Because that mister betrayed Mom.”

Please don’t ask what kind of betrayal.

Eric frowned, pushed out his lower lip, and fell into deep thought, clearly not fully understanding. Until he finally spoke again, Erica felt like she was backed into a corner.

“What’s betrayal?”

“Betrayal… what is it…?”

Stabbing someone in the back. Hitting the back of someone’s head. Only these figurative expressions came to mind. If she explained it this way, a four-year-old might literally think that ‘mister’ had stabbed Mom’s back and hit the back of her head.

“That was too difficult a word, wasn’t it? I’ll tell you when you’re a bit older. Anyway, Mom hates that mister.”

“Then should I hate him too?”

“Not necessarily, but Mom worries that you might get hurt by that mister just like Mom did.”

That’s right. Even for the child’s sake, it’s better not to have a father like him.

Though it was difficult to bring up such a complicated story, it seemed like the right thing to do. The more she spoke, the more convinced she became that this was the right direction.

However, it bothered her that Eric became gloomy.

“Did he hurt Mom? Then I won’t play with that mister anymore.”

It was the answer she wanted to hear, but she wasn’t entirely happy about it. It felt like she was driving a wedge between father and son before their relationship could even begin.

But what if the end of that relationship would only leave scars, just as it had for her? Erica had a duty to prevent Eric from experiencing what she had gone through.

‘Yes, this is my duty.’

As she reaffirmed her resolve, the child, who had been deep in thought with puffed cheeks, suddenly twisted his body and glanced up at his mother sheepishly. It was the gesture he made when he wanted something but feared he might get scolded for asking.

“What is it?”

“Sooo……”

“What?”

“Can I still play with Elodie?”

“……”

It was one mountain after another.

‘This crazy stalker not only found my house but even moved in. How did he find me?’

The most accurate answer would come from the crazy stalker himself, but since she didn’t even want to breathe the same air as him, she went to find someone who could give her a less accurate answer.

The landlady.

“Yesterday around sunset, I was sweeping the street out front when a very handsome, good-looking young man came with a little girl and asked me:”

“Is this the home of Erica the midwife?”

“So I told him it was.”

Not just Erica, but Erica the midwife would have made her much easier to find. She had worked hard promoting herself to expectant mothers, but instead of attracting them, she’d attracted a stalker.

“Why? Should I not have said it was?”

“Ah, no. That’s not it.”

She might start strange rumors. Erica quickly shook her head.

“Anyway, I thought he was looking for a midwife, so I asked that baby’s father:”

“Is your wife in labor? Erica might not be well-known yet, but she’s very reliable.”

“That’s not it, but since you say she’s reliable, I’m confident I’ve found the right person.”

“But from the look of him, he seemed like someone who had traveled a long way. So I asked:”

“Are you from out of town?”

“Yes.”

“Are you just passing through this city?”

“That was the original plan, but now I think I’ll stay longer.”

“Really? Do you have a place to stay?”

“No.”

“Oh my, how fortunate! As it happens, the house across from Erica’s is vacant.”

At that moment, it was obvious that both their eyes must have gleamed simultaneously.

‘No, Madam, when a suspicious man comes asking questions about your female tenant who lives without a husband, shouldn’t you either inform me or report him to the authorities instead of being blinded by the prospect of renting out a room and welcoming him into this building!’

The words she screamed only in her mind echoed so loudly inside her head that it began to throb. As she held her forehead, the landlady approached quietly and whispered in her ear.

“By the way, Eric’s mom.”

“Yes?”

“Did you two know each other before?”

“No!”

Her eyes showed disbelief.

“Well anyway, you two should get along. A handsome man with a child and a beautiful woman with a child, spending days cozily raising children together in one house, and nights sweetly making more children in one bed—wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Not at all nice!”

“Oh my, just thinking about it looks so good.”

The landlady, oblivious to how she was grating on Erica’s nerves, started making family plans for others on her own, saying she would break down the wall on the second floor if they moved in together.

One thing Erica learned from this conversation:

Roderick had not told the landlady that he was Eric’s father. Nor had he mentioned that he and Erica already knew each other.

It was the only thing she could be grateful for to that bastard who had barged into her peaceful daily life and stirred everything up.

‘When there’s nothing to be grateful for, even this becomes something to appreciate.’