With my sleeves rolled up, I helped Satoru carry out the cooler filled with beers, setting it up away from where the kids could reach.

It was a sunny Saturday morning, and Satoru and his partner were hosting a small get-together for the adults while the kids played. I wasn’t usually one for socializing, but I’d take this over an office party full of coworkers who annoyed me any day.

His backyard was the perfect setup—slip and slide, bounce house, swing set, sandbox. When you’re as rich as him, spoiling your kids is inevitable. Thankfully, their mother kept them in check; otherwise, they’d be as egotistical as he was.

Satoru asked me to help with the burgers, the last thing left to cook for the kids. I sighed but followed him to the grill. The sounds of squealing and laughter kept me distracted from the guests still arriving.

Midway through flipping a burger, I felt a nudge at my side.

“Your wife and kid are still coming, right?”

I clenched my jaw. “Ex-wife,” I corrected.

He rolled his eyes.

{{user}} and I had been divorced for over a year, but our interactions hadn’t stopped—not with a two-year-old child between us.