Chapter 1

"Hi, Daddy Noah!"

The clear chime of a child's voice cut into my heart like a piercing dagger.

I stood in the doorway, suitcase still in hand, my whole body frozen as if I'd just been struck by lightning.

Before me was the home I'd been away from for three years.

Streamers and balloons hung all over the living room. The banner reading "Welcome Home" swayed overhead, the words stinging my eyes.

However, the most painful sight of all was my fiancee, Erica Lewis. She stood there with a pregnant belly, holding a boy who was a little over a year old in her arms.

My older brother, Alex Sherman, stood behind her. One hand rested intimately on her belly while the other kneaded her shoulder without the slightest restraint.

"You're finally back!" Erica was tearing up, but she didn't step forward to greet me.

It felt as if someone had stuffed a rag down my throat. I couldn't speak.

"Why are you just standing there? Come see your son!" Mom walked over and grabbed my hand. "Isn't he adorable? He'll call you Daddy Noah from now on."

"What's going on, Mom?" The hoarse voice that escaped my throat sounded completely unlike my own.

Patting my shoulder, Dad said, "Well, you were gone for three years. Your mom and I were eager to have a grandchild, so…"

I flicked Dad's hand off me. "So what?"

"So I helped you out." Alex sauntered over with an arrogant smile on his face. Right in front of me, he wrapped an arm around Erica's waist and kissed her on the cheek. "The kid's going to have the same last name as you anyway. You're not losing out on anything."

I stared at them, eyes wide, unable to believe what I was seeing.

Having spent the three years on a special ops mission, I fought my hardest to survive, just so I could come home, marry Erica, and start a family.

But now, I came back to find that she'd given birth to Alex's child, and the kid was going to treat me like his second father?

Erica finally moved. She handed the boy to Alex before walking toward me, her eyes teary. "I know you can't accept this right now. But I waited for you for three years. I had to have a child, right?"

She said that as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world, but all I felt was disgust.

"Why are you pulling a long face?" Mom abruptly snapped, her expression turning cold. "Do you have any idea that while you were gone the last three years, it was Alex who has been taking care of Erica and us?

"He has worked so hard to look after your parents and help you perform your duties as a husband. Now that the wedding is finally happening, you're just going to come back and put a damper on everything?"

Wedding? Who was Alex about to marry?

My mind went blank, but I soon caught on.

Alex slung an arm around my shoulders, and he deliberately raised his voice so that everyone could hear, "Noah, Erica and I will be getting married tomorrow. Guess what role we arranged for you?"

I didn't answer. Every muscle in my body was coiled tight, ready to snap.

"You'll be the officiant!" he announced loudly, as if bestowing the greatest honor upon me. "Doesn't that show how much we respect you?"

At my continued silence, Mom snapped impatiently, "Don't get upset about it. Alex and Erica had to carry on the family name for us, and it hasn't been easy for them. It's only right to let them have a wedding ceremony.

"Besides, it will still be your name on the marriage certificate with Erica. You're not suffering any loss."

Dad took out a folded sheet of paper from his pocket and handed it to me. "Just read this out loud. You should start practicing now so you don't embarrass yourself during the ceremony."

My hands trembled as I took the paper with the officiant's script printed on it.

"On this beautiful day, as the officiant, I bear witness to the union of my beloved brother and my fiancee…"

I gripped the paper so tightly that it started to tear with a crisp sound, and it felt as if my heart tore with it.

"That's settled then," Alex piped up. "I'm having a bachelor's party before the wedding. A bunch of my friends will be celebrating with me, and you're driving. Let's go. I don't want to be late."

As my parents urged me to hurry along, I took the car keys, my hands trembling.