Chapter 3

I had a fitful sleep that night. At dawn the next morning, I left the house with my suitcase in tow.

First, I went to the county clerk's office to finalize my paperwork before I left the country. As I'd already completed all the necessary applications beforehand, the process went smoothly. The clerk handling my paperwork didn't ask much, either.

Just as I was about to leave, the clerk stopped me and passed me a piece of candy.

"I hope all your wishes come true," she said.

I flashed her a grateful smile before heading off to find a hotel. After setting down my suitcase, I headed off to grab a bite to eat.

As luck would have it, I ended up running into Ivy and Toby. Her parents and her baby were also with them.

Toby was dressed in an expensive, bespoke Armani suit. He looked like he was in the pink of health, not at all like someone who was on the verge of dying.

"I spotted you from a distance, Abe, but Ivy said there was no way you'd be here," Toby called out.

His gaze fell on the recruitment flyer I was holding. Chuckling, he remarked, "Oh, are you out looking for a job, Abe? But you know, with how scrawny you are, don't you think you're just making things hard for yourself by getting a job at a construction site?"

I said nothing. A young woman had passed me the recruitment flyer just now. She'd been standing out in the street in the middle of winter, so I took one from her out of pity.

Seeing that I was simply remaining silent while still gripping the flyer, Toby began smiling even more arrogantly.

"You should've told me you're looking for a job. Perhaps I might be able to help. After all, we're family now. If you do well for yourself, it means I can rest easy knowing that Ivy will have someone who can look after her for the rest of her life."

My silence seemed to come across as a tacit admission.

Ivy had seemed doubtful all along, but now, her expression immediately hardened. Her brows furrowed as she eyed me in contempt.

"What's the point of trying to help him? He's the one who insisted on resigning from the great job he had as a doctor. Even if he ends up starving to death on the street now, he doesn't deserve any sympathy from anyone else!" she snapped.

"You really have no sense of responsibility at all, Abel! Do you seriously think you can force me to abandon the baby by doing this?"

As I looked at her familiar face, it suddenly seemed completely foreign to me.

I could recall an incident that occurred when we were newly married. My position at the hospital had been affected by the office politics within the hospital. At that time, I was strongly considering resigning and switching to a new career.

After hearing that, Ivy hugged me and patted me consolingly. She then gently said, "Since we are married, we are of one mind. I'll support you no matter what you choose to do.

"So what if you resign? It's not a big deal. I have faith that someone as brilliant as you will always find a chance to shine. I'll always be by your side."

Alas, the woman who claimed she would always be by my side was now allowing another man to humiliate me. She'd forgotten the things she once said to me. She also seemed to have forgotten her once ardent love for me.

Even Fred and Cora were shaking their heads disapprovingly, as if I were a huge disappointment to them.

"I was such a blind fool back then. I can't believe I trusted you to take care of my daughter for the rest of her life!"

"Thank goodness the two of us are still around. If we weren't, we would never have known just how badly you'd mistreat her!"

The more they spoke, the more exaggerated their claims became. Even the passersby began eyeing us curiously.

My hands balled into fists. Just as I was about to speak, Toby abruptly approached me and said, "We were just about to take a family portrait. Why don't you join us, Abe? After all, I still have to trouble you to look after Ivy and my son on my behalf in the future."

Ivy immediately chimed in with a derisive snort, saying, "Look at him! He's dressed like a beggar. He'll only be making the rest of us look bad if he joins us."

She turned around and headed off toward the photography studio, not forgetting to urge Toby to keep up.

"Well, in that case, we'll get going now. We won't keep you from your job search any longer," Toby said as he gave me a sarcastic pat on the back.

As I watched him leave, I didn't feel any stir of emotion at all.

In everyone else's eyes, they looked like a loving, happy family.

Since this was what Ivy wanted, what was the harm in letting go and giving them my blessing?