Chapter 2

Tristan's POV

Megan said nothing in response to Ian's taunt. Instead, she stayed by his side, as if her actions were enough to tell me that he was right.

She calmly looked at me and said, "Stop making a fool of yourself, Tristan. Delete the photos, apologize to Ian, and I'll come home with you."

Ever since Megan suffered from postpartum depression, I had never once mentioned the son we lost in front of her. That loss felt like a permanent thorn lodged in my heart, yet she had no problem letting Tristan rub it in my wounds over and over again.

I looked Megan straight in the eyes and smirked. "Fine. I'll apologize."

A flash of condescension and triumph flashed in Ian's eyes.

I stepped up to him. Before anyone in the room could process what was happening, I grabbed a plate of food off the table and dumped it upside down, slamming it onto his head.

The bystanders had gotten quite a show. They pulled out their phones and started taking photos of Ian's face.

Megan finally snapped out of her shock and scrambled to wipe the soup and food remnants off his face.

Terrified by the sudden chaos, Aiden burst into loud wails.

"Consider it my wedding gift for your remarriage," I spat out before turning to walk out of the restaurant without giving them another glance.

…

Upon returning home, I immediately contacted a divorce lawyer.

Megan rushed home shortly after comforting Ian. The second she walked in, she started smashing things around the house, right before my eyes.

"You've gone too far, Tristan! Do you have any idea how humiliating that was for me?"

Faced with her explosive fury, my expression remained unchanged as I said, "Oh, so you know what humiliation feels like, don't you? Why didn't you feel humiliated when you were sleeping around with your ex-husband and killed our son with your own hands? He died before he was even named!"

For the past three years, I kept giving in to Megan. I couldn't let go, and I still loved her, so I kept waiting for her to turn back to me.

Confronted with my sharp questioning, Megan's ferocious expression froze. Her lips trembled, as if my words brought ugly memories rushing back into her mind.

"Ian was dying back then. He had no one else but me, so I couldn't just leave him to die."

"So his life mattered, but not our son's?"

I pointed at the calendar on the wall and continued, "He's been dead for three years, Megan. In all these three years, have you ever visited his grave on his death anniversary?"

Megan clutched her chest, and her eyes were red-rimmed with tears. "How long will you keep punishing me with this guilt, Tristan? I developed depression because of what happened, and I'm a mother, too.

"But to me, the living will always be more important than the dead. You don't have to keep reminding me."

She clawed at her hair, looking completely disheveled and broken, as if she were the victim.

Exhausted, I was reminded of a night from three years ago, right after I had first brought up the divorce.

Megan had kneeled outside our door in the pouring rain for an entire day and night, swearing on her life that she would cut all ties with Ian.

But what happened?

Over the last three years, whenever our anniversary, birthdays, or our son's memorial came around, one call from Ian was all it took. She would always leave, no matter how flimsy his excuse was, then come home and beg for my forgiveness.

When Megan saw me fall silent, her violently heaving chest slowly calmed down. She glanced at the clock. There were only five minutes left before midnight.

Only then did she remember that it was my birthday.

Feeling slightly guilty, she opened her mouth and said, "I'm sorry, Tristan… I promise I'll spend your birthday with you next year."

As if for fear that I wouldn't believe her, she added, "I promise I'll go with you on our son's death anniversary this year. I won't leave anymore."

I responded to her vows with utter indifference and almost laughed. I had heard the same words countless times before.

"And how will you guarantee that promise?

"Megan, do you need me to list out all the promises you've made over the last three years, and how many times you've managed to keep your word?"