Chapter 2

"Dad... Mom... I... I want to divorce Joshua..."

On the other end of the call, Sheila's father, Paul Jenkins, and her mother, Rebecca White, were stunned to hear Sheila sobbing so hard that she could barely speak.

Until that phone call, the two of them had always believed their daughter and Joshua were deeply in love. They were known throughout their social circle as the perfect couple.

"Sheila, what happened? Did you and Joshua have a fight?"

"Tell us what's going on. Why are you suddenly talking about divorce? Why are you crying like this? Say something. You're scaring us to death."

As her parents bombarded her with one worried question after another, Sheila gradually forced herself to calm down despite the unbearable pain in her heart.

What Joshua had done was too cruel. If she told them the truth, her parents might collapse on the spot.

She could not put them through that. Swallowing every ounce of grief, she struggled to steady her voice. "I'll... I'll explain everything after I get to Francoria.

"Dad, Mom, please don't tell anyone about this call. Not anyone, especially Joshua.

"Once I've taken care of everything here, I'll come and be with you."

Her parents were desperate for answers, but Sheila had always been independent and strong-willed. Knowing they could not force her to talk, they stopped asking questions. They simply told her to think things through carefully and reminded her that no matter what happened, they would always stand by her.

During the rest of her stay in the hospital, Joshua returned to being the same loving, attentive husband everyone admired.

He took care of her personally every single day. He bought her favorite desserts and fed her himself.

Whenever he pushed her wheelchair outside for fresh air, he would stop every few steps, kneel beside her, and gently ask if she was cold or whether her injuries were hurting.

Anyone who saw them could not help but envy Sheila.

However, only Sheila knew the truth. Love could be faked, and even the deepest devotion could turn out to be nothing more than a carefully crafted performance.

The day she was discharged from the hospital, Joshua answered a phone call before telling her he had an urgent matter at the office and had to leave.

Sheila knew exactly who had called.

It was Cecilia.

Only Cecilia could make his face soften into that kind of gentle smile.

Looking back, there had been so many signs that he loved Cecilia. How had she never noticed a single one all those years?

After Joshua left, Sheila took a taxi to the County Clerk's Office. She handed the marriage certificate she had carefully prepared to the clerk.

"Hello. I'd like to file for divorce."

The clerk examined the certificate, frowned, and shook his head. "Ma'am, this marriage certificate is fake. If you don't want to get divorced, that's fine, but there's no need to bring in a fake certificate."

Sheila froze. It took several seconds before the words finally sank in.

Then she laughed, she laughed until tears streamed down her face.

So...

Even their marriage had been fake. He had not even been willing to give her a real marriage certificate. He had arranged for a counterfeit one from the very beginning.

In a way, that made things easier. At least she would not have to go through the trouble of getting a divorce.

She quietly put the certificate away, hailed another taxi, and headed for the embassy to apply for permanent residency abroad.

The staff member informed her that the entire process would take seven business days.

Seven business days….

Which meant that for the next week, she would have to pretend that nothing had happened and continue living under the same roof as Joshua.

When she arrived home, one of the maids had barely opened the front door before her son, Max Stewart, came running toward her. His little cheeks were rosy as he wrapped his arms around her and clung to her.

"Mom! You're home! I missed you so much.

"Dad wouldn't let me visit you at the hospital. I was so worried.

"Mom, I'll stay with you forever. You'll walk again someday. I know you will."

Looking at the little boy clinging to her, Sheila felt as though someone had driven a knife straight through her heart.

She had loved him with all her heart for five years. Then she had learned that… he was never her son.

She thought about the baby she had never even been allowed to see, the child who had been strangled to death the moment he entered the world.

That had been Joshua's own flesh and blood too.

However, Joshua only wanted the child he had with Cecilia. So, he had killed his own newborn son without a second thought.

However, the little boy standing before her was different. She had raised him with her own hands, watching him grow a little taller with each passing day. She had spoiled him, protected him, and loved him with all the devotion a mother could give. The pain was almost more than she could bear.

In the end, she forced herself to hold on to one simple truth: none of this was Max's fault. He was only five years old. He knew nothing.

Bending down, Sheila wrapped her arms around him.

As she held him close, tears slid silently down her face.