Chapter 2

Jessie quickly picked up my call and asked, "Zephyr? Why are you calling me out of nowhere?"

I asked, "Mom, why is there a daughter listed under my registry?"

The other end of the line went quiet for a moment before Jessie's laughter came through. "What daughter? Are you exhausted from work and reading things wrong?"

I laughed as well as I said, "Turns out I also have an ex-wife called Lindsay Davies."

This time, her breathing became heavy. "You... where did you hear that name?"

"The police station," I said.

Then, the call ended as soon as I finished speaking. When I called again, her phone was already switched off.

I stared at the screen. Over the past few years, she would always urge me to go back to my hometown and even asked for copies of my ID, pitifully claiming she needed them for health insurance verification. Everything that I had not been paying attention to now had an answer.

I did not text her to question her. Instead, I opened the Trip app and changed my ticket to the earliest flight.

The next morning I was standing in the airport departure hall with my luggage.

My name was Zephyr Evans. I was thirty, unmarried and childless. Yet the household registration system had created an entire life for me. I had gotten married, had a daughter, and then divorced. My daughter was even five years old.

I suddenly laughed out loud.

My mother was quite something.

While I was working overtime, she had stolen my life and sold it to the rich.

If that were the case, I would go back. I would go back to see who had written such an absurd script.

-

The neighborhood in my hometown still looked the same.

As soon as I opened the door, the living room was quite lively. Seafood, wine, and cake were laid on the table.

Jessie sat at the head of the table, her face red from drinking. Meanwhile, my younger cousin, Lex Taylor, was wearing a silk shirt, and the watch on his wrist appeared to blink brightly under the lights.

Several relatives sat around him, praising him.

"Lex has really made something of himself. He bought that luxury apartment without blinking."

"Your luck is so good. Marrying well matters more than anything."

Lex covered his mouth and laughed. "Not at all. I worked hard for it."

I stood at the door, and the wheels of my suitcase hit the doorway with a dull thud, making everyone look over. The wineglass in Jessie's hand fell before hitting the floor and shattering.

Lex's smile froze for a moment before saying, "Zephyr? Why did you come back without telling us?"

I ignored him as I walked to the dining table and slapped the police report onto it. "Explain this."

The room went silent at once.

My second uncle extended his neck for a look, and he quickly pulled back as his expression darkened.

Jessie reacted quickly as she stood up and said, "Zephyr, why are you doing this?! You came back in the middle of the night just to show everyone your attitude?"

I stared at her and said, "I'm asking you about my supposed marriage and daughter on my household registry."

Her voice rose. "Family matters should be discussed behind closed doors. Do you have to make a scene in front of everyone?"

"A scene?" I scoffed as I took out a printed copy of the scanned marriage registration and threw it in front of Lex. "You used my ID to get married, used my degree for matchmaking, and used my name to register a child."

Lex put down his glass and slowly stood up. "Zephyr, you don't have to act like the victim."

He went on, "Back then, the Davies family's matchmaking required at least a bachelor's degree and a clean family background. Your education was sitting there unused. So what if I borrowed it?"

No one in the living room spoke, which meant they had all known.

Jessie immediately picked up where he left off and said, "Your cousin did not have the same advantages you had growing up. You're his older cousin. What's wrong with helping him?"

"Helping?" I asked as I looked at the woman I had called my mother for thirty years. "You stole my identity, forged a marriage registration, and put someone else's child under my name. You call that helping?"

Jessie slammed the table. "Aren't you doing alright now? Did you get maimed somehow? You have a good education and a good job. But life is different for Lex, and he has had a particularly hard life! So what if I helped him?"

I had heard that line for over twenty years.

In the past, I thought she was simply favoring Lex more. But now I knew. Playing favorite was only a cover.

Lex raised an eyebrow. "Besides, I'm already divorced. I didn't hold you back. You can just remove the record now, right?"

"What about the child?" I asked.

He froze before mumbling, "What child?"

"Sandy," I said.

His expression finally changed. But soon, that indifferent look returned. "What does she have to do with me? The household registry already stated it, right? She's your daughter."

That sentence chilled my heart.

A five-year-old child meant no more to him than old clothes he wanted to throw away.