Chapter 1

After hearing that, the apologetic look on Vivian Crowell vanished in an instant. She rose to her feet, pointed at our son, Victor Carrington, and demanded, "Is this how you usually teach our child, Vincent?"

Calmly, I pulled Victor behind me. "What's wrong with that? If he doesn't get love, at least he gets money. It's better than ending up like me, who had to go through a divorce just to learn this lesson."

Vivian was stumped. Her phone rang again, and the voice of Elliot Everhart's daughter, Eleanor Everhart, came through. "Vivian, hurry up and get over here; you promised you'd try the roller coaster with me!"

Victor gripped the hem of my shirt tightly.

Noticing Victor's movement, Vivian, for once, didn't agree right away. If anything, she reached out to pat Victor on the head. "Be a good boy and go to the hospital with your dad first, Vic. Once you're all better, I'll take you to the amusement park, okay?"

Victor dodged her hand and looked up at her with wide eyes. "It's fine, Mommy. Please just transfer me the money."

Vivian's expression darkened completely. Before she left, she spat out, "Vincent, you and Victor can keep digging your own graves. You're both so damn impossible!"

The front door slammed shut, and my heart jolted with it.

Victor tugged at my arm and held up his smartwatch for me to see. "Mommy transferred a lot of zeros over, Daddy. Is this enough money for my surgery?"

Looking at his face, I swallowed the lump in my throat and pulled him into my embrace. "It's more than enough. Once your surgery is over, I'll take you away from here."

While waiting for Victor's check-up, several push notifications popped up on my phone. They were paparazzi photos of Vivian, Elliot, and Eleanor at the amusement park.

The caption read, "Vivian Crowell hits the amusement park with her new flame, and the toddler is already calling her Mom!"

I zoomed in on the photo and looked at Vivian's sweet, gentle smile. I could no longer remember the last time she had smiled like that in front of Victor and me.

With trembling hands, I tapped out of it. When I refreshed the page, the post had already been deleted.

The very next second, Vivian's call came through. "Don't be mad at me, Vincent. That was all nonsense written by unscrupulous media. I've already paid to have all those articles taken down."

I froze for a moment before realizing she was referring to Eleanor calling her Mom.

"I'm not mad at you. It's just a child's innocent words. Since I've already rented you out to them, you should just have fun and keep them company." Before she could respond, I hung up on her.

Victor's test results were out. The doctor said his condition was well under control, and his heart bypass surgery could be scheduled for next month. My body lost all of its strength, and I nearly sank to my knees on the floor.

When we divorced because of Elliot and Eleanor, Vivian wanted to teach me a lesson, so she brought in the best lawyers to force me out of the marriage with absolutely nothing to my name.

The very next day, Victor was diagnosed with myocardial ischemia. He was at risk of sudden cardiac death at any time. Due to Vivian's influence, not a single company dared to hire me, and not a single relative or friend was willing to lend me money.

As I watched Victor's health deteriorate day by day, I ultimately swallowed my pride and gave in to Vivian. Now, Victor was finally out of danger.

After confirming the date of the surgery, I went to an agency and submitted the visa applications for Victor and me.

Right then, a message from Vivian popped up. "When are you coming home? I made your favorite dishes." I didn't respond.