Chapter 1

After the birthday party ended, the whole family returned home cheerfully. However, their laughter and joy abruptly stopped the moment they opened the door and saw me sitting there.

"Lucas, you're back? Is the project over?" Kendra Clarkson, my wife, clutched Eleanor Baldwin tighter in her arms as she stared at me nervously.

I glanced up from the couch. They said daughters would resemble their fathers, and Eleanor did look quite a bit like my younger brother, Cody Baldwin.

Mom gave a stiff smile and quickly tried to change the mood. "If the project's over, you should take some time to rest. I'll go prepare your room."

She walked into the hallway and peeked around, only to realize Cody already moved into Kendra's room. His old bedroom was turned into a nursery—there was no longer a place for me in this house.

"Don't bother, I'll stay at the office," I said, picking up the duffel bag at my feet to leave.

Dad's face instantly turned dark. "What's with that attitude? You disappeared for three years! If it weren't for Cody, we wouldn't have made it through! You think you have the right to be angry?"

Cody stepped forward, his voice calm but heavy. "Lucas, it's been tough since you left. Mom and Dad had a hard time, and Kendra too."

"So that gave you the liberty to take my place and shack up with my wife?" I looked at the faces in front of me, and all I felt was a cold emptiness inside.

When the government called on me to join a classified research project three years ago, everyone was so supportive. It involved advanced weapons tech and carried the risk of injury or even death, and I did not want to hold Kendra back, so I filed for a divorce.

However, she refused. She cried and begged, saying it would only happen over her dead body. "Lucas, I chose to marry you, and no matter what happens—sickness, war, or death—I'm your wife!"

Cody even made a vow. "Lucas, don't worry. I'll take care of Mom, Dad, and Kendra."

Mom sobbed so hard her eyes were red as she clung to my hand. "Lucas, please take care of yourself. We'll be here waiting for you."

Even Dad, usually cold and quiet, looked me in the eye and said, "You're doing this for the country. I'm proud of you."

Those long, grueling days at the research facility, filled with testing and data collection, were only bearable because of the strength I drew from their support. So, why was it that, now that I came home, everything changed?

The people who once loved me the most, now felt like strangers.

Cody said, "Lucas, I know you're upset, but you were gone for so long, and Kendra didn't want to remarry. The family still needed to have an heir! You wouldn't want Mom and Dad to reach their old age without ever holding a grandchild, right?"

I could not take it anymore and punched Cody in his face. "Shut up! You're just some adopted kid from the village that Dad took in! If you wanted to give this family a future, you could've had a kid with someone else—why her? She's my wife!"

Dad's hand slapped across my face with burning force. He clutched his chest, panting as he shouted, "You ungrateful bastard! You come back after all these years and start pointing fingers? Why did you even come back? You should've just died out there in that lab!

"If you still want to be part of this family, and if you still consider me your father, then get on your knees and apologize to Cody!"

His words cut like a blade, stabbing me in the heart repeatedly. I closed my eyes and took a long breath. If this were the old me, I would have panicked, apologized, maybe even begged just to keep the peace and not upset Dad's health.

But now, I just stood there motionless.

Dad raised his hand again to hit me, but Cody quickly stepped in and blocked him. "Dad, stop! Lucas finally came home. Don't hurt him. This is all on me anyway. If Lucas wants to hit me or yell at me, I'll take whatever it takes to make things right."

The room fell quiet. Everyone looked at him with sympathy, and their disgust toward me only deepened.

Cody tugged on my sleeve and added in a low, careful voice, "We signed Ellie up for a televised parent-and-child showcase next month. If you're okay with it, maybe you could join Kendra on stage as Ellie's godfather? I'll stay out of it."

"Wait, what?" Kendra resisted instinctively, but Cody squeezed her hand and nodded firmly at her.

I let out a bitter laugh. Next month happened to be exactly when I needed to report back to the base to begin my permanent defense work assignment. Since that was how things were, I would give them one hell of a parting gift before I left.

"Sure," I said.