Chapter 2 The Family I Lost

I'd barely finished dumping the food into the trash when Allison called.

When she saw how pale I looked, she frowned slightly. "I just got back to the hotel, Tristan. Why do you look so pale? Are you feeling sick?"

I looked at her, a bitter taste filling my mouth. "Allison, tell me the truth. Where are you really?"

A flicker of alarm crossed her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure. "Didn't I already tell you I'm on a business trip?"

She got up and turned in a circle, holding her phone out to show me the hotel room.

"See? I'm at the hotel. Why are you imagining things again? I'll be home in two days at most. Just stay home and wait for me."

Since she'd lost sight in her left eye, she always unconsciously tilted her phone to the right during our video calls. But this time, her shrunken left eye was right up against the camera, as if she wanted me to see it.

My heart gave an involuntary twinge of pain.

I didn't answer and simply hung up.

Allison then transferred some money to me and sent a text. "Sorry I can't be with you for Thanksgiving, so buy yourself something nice. I have to get back to work."

Suddenly, I remembered the security cameras at my parents' house.

I opened the app, only to find a message saying the administrator had kicked me out and I no longer had permission to view the cameras.

A bitter smile crossed my face. Apparently, in my parents' eyes, I'd stopped being family a long time ago.

I opened my blocked contacts and unblocked Trevor. His social media posts began appearing on my screen one after another.

His latest post had gone up just an hour earlier. "All my favorite foods. Happy Thanksgiving!"

The photo showed a table laden with all the food my mom had made.

Both my parents had liked the post, and my mom had even left a comment. "I'm glad you like it. I'll make it for you again next time."

Scrolling further back, I found a photo of Allison and Trevor with their fingers interlocked and their hands pressed against her belly. "Daddy loves Mommy, so that's why the baby wanted to come into this world."

I froze in shock.

Was Allison pregnant? I hadn't heard a word about it. Obviously, the baby wasn't mine.

My parents had liked nearly every one of Trevor's posts.

…

By the time I'd finished scrolling through them all, I could barely hold my phone anymore.

I clutched my chest, struggling to breathe through the pain.

For the past three years, my own parents had been taking care of the man who'd destroyed my marriage.

The home I'd lived in for over a decade had become a safe haven where they could hide their affair.

Meanwhile, Allison hadn't just refused to cut ties with Trevor. She was having his baby.

All this time, I'd been the only one kept in the dark, foolishly feeling guilty toward everyone involved.

I couldn't take it anymore. I got in my car and drove to my parents' house. I needed to look them in the eye and ask why they were doing this to me.

I knocked for a long time, but no one answered. I entered the door code, but the lock kept telling me it was wrong.

With only one attempt left, my fingers trembled badly.

I typed in Trevor's birthday, and the door unlocked. I stood in the doorway and broke down sobbing.

I pushed the door open and realized no one was home.

All kinds of baby supplies were piled on the floor.

A family portrait hung on the living room wall. It showed my parents, Trevor, and Allison together. The photo of me with my parents had been taken down and left in a corner.

I went upstairs and pushed open my bedroom door, only to freeze. My room had been remodeled to look exactly like a hotel room.

I immediately pictured Allison standing there, talking to me on a video call.

My legs gave out. I collapsed to the floor and started retching uncontrollably. Then I heard the door open outside, followed by some footsteps.