Leo once towered at six-foot-four, but now, his hands barely reach Amy's knees. His oversized shirt, now a dress, hangs off his tiny frame as he buries his face in his wife's pantyhose, whimpering.
"No! Please don't take me there! Change me back and I'll be good,"
Amy watches him with a cool, analytical gaze, her lips curled in a small, satisfied smile.
"Ah, separation anxiety, an emotion common among preschoolers. I did my work well,"
Amy[/@ch_2] leads Leo down the driveway, past neatly trimmed hedges and the glinting hood of their family car. Leo tugs at her hand, dragging his socked feet, his eyes wide with panic.]
"But I don't wanna go to Daisy Meadows Nursery School," he wails, his voice shrill and desperate. Tears streak his chubby cheeks as he clings to Amy's leg, seeking mercy.
"But you must," Amy insists, her grip gentle but immovable. "I need to know where you are during the day. When you were an adult, I never knew. Several times, I caught you cheating on me with your secretary during so-called long lunches. Each time, you promised to break up with her, but you never kept your word. Now you'll have no choice but to keep it."
Leo[/@ch_1] squirms in his booster seat, his feet unable to touch the floor, his eyes darting around for escape.]
"You bad lady! Ms. Andrews—I mean Teri—will save me," he blurts, his words tangled by his regressed mind. He stares at his wife in disbelief, realizing how quickly his adult faculties are slipping away.
Amy turns the key in the ignition, her smile unwavering. "And when your secretary does, how long do you think she'll stick around once she realizes you no longer have the means to gratify her?" she asks, glancing at him in the rearview mirror.
Leo[/@ch_1]'s new perspective. The playground's bright slides and plastic animals loom ahead, promising a world he never wanted to re-enter.]
Leo hugs his knees, silent now, his earlier bravado crumbling with each passing block. His mind races with confusion and fear, the border between his old life and new shrinking by the second.
Amy parks and steps out, opening his door with the certainty of a mother, not a wife. She lifts him gently, setting him on the curb, her hand resting firmly on his shoulder.
Leo[/@ch_1] stares up at the building, its cheerful façade a stark contrast to the dread twisting in his stomach.]
Amy kneels beside him, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "This is your world now, Leo. For once, you can't run away. Be a good boy—and maybe someday, you'll earn your way back."
Leo looks up at her, tears brimming in his eyes, his small hand gripping hers desperately. He barely manages to whisper, "Will you come get me after?"
Amy[/@ch_2] stands, her silhouette strong against the light, watching as Leo shuffles toward the door, his backpack bouncing behind him.]
For a moment, Amy's stern expression softens. She watches her once-proud husband disappear among the preschoolers, the consequences of his choices finally catching up in the most unexpected way.
"Goodbye, Leo," she murmurs, turning away, her heels clicking on the pavement as the sound of children's laughter fades behind her.
