Chapter 2

Five years ago, Liam’s investments failed. His company went under and left him millions of dollars in debt.

That night, he had sent me a text.

[Take care of Jen for me.]

Then, he disappeared without a trace.

By the time I reached the apartment they shared, the creditors had smashed up the place and left.

Jennifer was curled up alone amid the wreckage. She was sobbing uncontrollably.

Liam had been my best friend since college. I could not bear to leave her homeless. I offered to let her stay in my spare apartment until she got back on her feet.

However, two weeks after Liam disappeared, Jennifer suddenly collapsed in the bathroom.

At the hospital, we learned that she was nearly two months pregnant.

The baby was Liam’s.

When Jennifer woke up, she ran a hand over her still-flat stomach. Her eyes had been frighteningly vacant.

She wanted to terminate the pregnancy, but the doctor warned that because of an underlying medical condition, doing so could leave her permanently infertile.

To make matters worse, the doctor warned that follow-up prenatal tests carried a high risk of detecting abnormal cardiac development in the fetus.

Jennifer fell apart.

She knew that with unmarried parents and a father who had fled the town to escape his debts, the child would grow up facing endless judgment and ridicule.

That day, she gripped my hand and sobbed so hard she could barely breathe.

“Dave, please, I’m begging you. Help me. I can’t let my baby come into the world without a father. I can’t let him grow up being mocked as the illegitimate son of a fugitive debtor.

“Your parents have been pressuring you to get married, haven’t they? Could we pretend to be married? We only have to be together long enough to give him a legitimate family. Once everything blows over, we’ll get a divorce.

“I’ll even sign an agreement promising to cover every cent of his expenses myself!”

Seeing her reduced to begging and thinking of how my parents threatened to kill themselves almost every day if I refused to settle down, I finally gave in.

For five years, ours had been a marriage in name only, built on mutual respect rather than love. I had loved Teddy as if he were my own family.

I never imagined Liam would suddenly return, much less kidnap his own son!

“Are you going to call her or not?” In the video, Liam lost patience and kicked Teddy.

Teddy cried out as he fell into the water again.

Clutching his chest, he gasped desperately for air. His face turned ashen.

His heart condition was about to act up!

“I’ll call her! I’ll call her!” I broke down.

Afraid to end the video call with Liam, I pulled out my backup phone and called Jennifer.

She answered after three rings. Her gentle voice came through the phone.

“Dave, did you get the medicine? Teddy mentioned earlier that he wanted those little cakes from the bakery on the west side.”

“Jennifer, I want a divorce,” I blurted out.

There was dead silence on the other end of the line.

Several seconds passed before Jennifer finally spoke in a flustered voice.

“Dave, what’s wrong? Are your parents pressuring you again? Don’t worry, I’ll move out in the next few days.”

“No! I’ve had enough!” I roared into the phone. My tears splashed onto the screen.

“I’m sick of raising another man’s son! Get out of my house right now! Now!”

With that, I hung up.

“You heard me! I did exactly what you told me to do! Now, get Teddy out of the water!”

Liam froze, seemingly taken aback that I would really go that far.

Then, he burst out laughing, doubling over with amusement.

“Hahaha! Dave, you really are a loyal little lapdog! You’d dump your wife for this runt?”

He walked over to the tank and hauled Teddy out of the water. Then, he threw him hard onto the concrete floor.

Teddy curled into a ball. His mouth slightly opened as faint, ragged gasps escaped him.

“Pills... I need my pills...” Teddy murmured weakly.

“Liam, give him his pills! His emergency heart pills are in his pocket!”

I screamed at the screen. I wished I could reach through it and strangle him with my bare hands.

Liam merely crouched down at a leisurely pace and pulled the white pill bottle from Teddy’s soaked pocket.

He idly turned the bottle over in his hand. His eyes were full of contempt.

“Pills? Dave, did you really think I’d let you off that easily?”