Chapter 1

On the day my wife, Ivy Hart, moved back into the house after giving birth, I had just finished handing over the last of my work at Centrum Hospital.

As soon as I got to the door, the pleasant laughter and blissful conversation spilled out inside the house.

"What a lovely baby he is, and look at those large eyes of his! He inherited all of his dad's best qualities," Cora Norris, my mother-in-law, remarked as she played with the baby in her arms.

Toby Clayton emerged from the kitchen with a bowl of piping hot chicken soup.

"I made the soup myself. You're still weak from having the baby, so you need to have a lot of nourishing food," he said before sitting down beside Ivy and feeding her.

They looked like the picture-perfect family.

Fred Hart, Ivy's father, was grinning widely as he shook a baby rattle. "He's a charming baby, alright, just like his father. Thank goodness the father isn't Abel, that boring stick-in-the-mud. It'd be dreadfully worrisome to have a doctor for a father."

My hand tightened around the doorknob.

I recalled the first time I met Fred. He'd patted me on the shoulder and said that being a doctor was a good thing. It was a great honor for the family that one among their ranks was someone who saved lives for a living.

He even spoke of how he had worked as a doctor in the past. He only ended up retiring early because of an incident at the hospital that left his hand permanently injured. But now, he was claiming that a doctor wasn't worthy of having a wife and a son.

I'd left for a year to hone my medical training, but that was enough time for me to no longer be welcome in the family.

I lowered my head and pursed my lips bitterly.

Ivy and I had been married for three years. She said she didn't want to have children. I knew how dangerous childbirth was for a woman, so I didn't insist on having one, either.

I could still recall the way she cried her eyes out on the day I went abroad for further training. She said she couldn't bear to part with me.

Throughout my year abroad, we called each other every day and shared about our daily lives. Even my colleagues teased us for behaving like a pair of infatuated lovers, even though we had already been married for several years.

A month ago, I finally managed to get a leave of absence approved so I could head home. Even the eight-hour flight didn't tire me out. However, the moment I rushed home, I was greeted by the sight of a pregnant Ivy, and standing beside her was Toby, her first love.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of Toby's voice.

"When did you get back, Abe? Why are you standing in the doorway instead of coming in?"

Upon hearing his words, everyone else in the house turned toward me.

Fred frowned deeply when he saw the resignation letter I was holding.

"Why did I ever choose to leave my daughter in the care of a guy like you anyway? What a rotten decision that was. You've resigned, huh? What's this? Are you expecting us to support you financially? What kind of husband are you?"

Cora also began berating me. "You resigned? Being a doctor means you're set for life! What else can you do if you can't even hold down a decent job?

"Ivy is in no condition to work right now. You'll need money to provide for her and the baby. Are all three of you supposed to just starve to death because you refuse to work?"

I wanted to laugh.

"Whoever's wife and child that is, that's the person who needs to be providing for them," I replied.

Ivy couldn't take it anymore. Eyes red, she shrieked at me, "What did you say, Abel? Do you have no sense of responsibility at all?"

Seemingly overwhelmed by her agitation, she had a coughing fit before she continued, "I might've died if Toby hadn't saved me from the car accident three years ago.

"His parents are both gone, and he's been diagnosed with end-stage cancer. Soon, there might not be anyone left in this world who'd remember him.

"Why must you insist on being so cruel toward him? And is that how you think of me—that I'm some depraved woman who'd cheat on you?"

Toby had a look of concern as he helped her calm down from her coughing spell. Then, he turned to me and said, "Go easy on your words, Abe. I know it's all my fault. I promise I won't ever show up to disrupt your lives ever again, so please don't let me affect your relationship with her, okay?"

It was obvious that Ivy, Toby, Cora, and Fred were all on the same side, and that made things even more laughable to me.

I now knew who was truly part of the family.

Just then, Ivy abruptly said, "There's a limit to my patience, Abel! If you dare to start targeting Toby for no reason ever again, you can forget about coming back to this house!

"If you still want to stay married to me, then stop causing trouble. We're having a sip and see party for the baby next week. I'm willing to announce to all our friends and family that you're the baby's father."

Next week, she said?

I glanced at the baby fast asleep in the carrier. I was heading abroad next week. However, I didn't mind giving them an unforgettable surprise before I left.

Keeping my expression neutral, I nodded and said, "Fine."