Chapter 3

I steadied myself against the table and forced an expression of admiration onto my face.

“Boss, this place must’ve cost you a fortune to set up. And if your wife’s ex-husband was a gambling addict, didn’t she have debts of her own to deal with back then?”

There was one last thing I needed to confirm.

The moment Austin heard my question, he burst out laughing as though I had told the funniest joke in the world.

“Man, are you kidding me? My wife comes from a pretty well-off family. They’re not filthy rich or anything, but they’ve never been short on money. Why would she have any debts?”

Behind him, his mother, Victoria, immediately chimed in with a proud smile.

“Exactly. Sophia’s parents always spoiled their daughter. When she got married the first time, they even helped pay the down payment on her marital home.”

I felt as though my entire world collapsed.

The massive debt that kept me drowning for five long years had been nothing more than an elaborate trap, designed specifically for me from the very beginning.

The whole point had been to squeeze every last bit of value out of me, then find a perfectly legitimate excuse to kick me out of her life.

At last, everything made sense.

That was why Sophia had been so adamant about supporting my decision to work overseas when I hesitated all those years ago.

Also, that was why every time I told her how much I missed home and wanted to return early, she came up with one excuse after another to convince me to stay.

She had already secured her own way out long before I ever left.

Just then, Zach came running over again and tugged playfully at Austin’s pant leg.

“Daddy, my birthday’s coming up soon. Can you buy me that giant Ultraman toy I showed you last time?”

Austin agreed without a moment’s hesitation. “Of course. You name it, and Daddy will buy it for you.”

The question slipped out before I could stop myself. “Hey, buddy, when’s your birthday?”

Austin smiled and answered for his son. “November eleventh.”

November eleventh. It was the anniversary of my mother’s death.

I could never forget that day for as long as I lived.

My mother suffered a sudden heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. The doctors told me that if the money arrived in time, they could operate immediately and save her life.

I called Sophia like a madman at that time. Hundreds of calls, over an entire day and night. Yet not a single one was answered.

In the end, my mother missed the critical window for treatment and died on the operating table.

Back then, I assumed Sophia had been too busy dealing with debt collectors to answer her phone.

I even tried to console myself and told myself it was not her fault.

Yet the truth was, she had not been dealing with a single debt collector that day. She was in a hospital, giving birth to another man’s child.

It was her. Sophia had been the one who snuffed out my mother’s last chance at survival with her own hands.

A wave of hatred surged up from the depths of my heart. My eyes burned red, and I could barely keep myself from losing control.

I hated my own stupidity. I hated the blind trust I placed in her. Most of all, I hated that I worked myself half to death overseas for a lie, only to be denied the chance to see my mother one last time.

My chest heaved. The back of my throat tasted like rust.

A kitchen worker showed up carrying several dishes.

“Boss, dinner’s ready.”

There were sweet-and-sour pork ribs, braised carp, and a steaming pot of chicken soup.

It was a lavish spread.

The Chase family eagerly gathered around the table and prepared to eat.

Austin waved me over with an air of generosity. “Hey, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Don’t be shy. Come join us. You’ve got to try our chef’s cooking.”

He gestured proudly toward the food. “We always eat well in this family. Sophia says a man who works hard out there deserves good food and a full stomach.”

I stared at the feast before me. The nausea I had been fighting finally overwhelmed me, and I gagged.

I remembered the sour, rancid smell of cheap bread gone moldy overseas.

I traded my blood, sweat, and flesh for their life of luxury. Now they invited me to share a bite as though they tossed a scrap to a beggar.

I looked Austin straight in the eye and forced the words through clenched teeth.

“No. I couldn’t stomach a bite.”