Chapter 2

Steven's POV

Millie clawed at my arm, leaving it covered in bloody scratches.

Those around us started accusing me of abusing Millie.

I looked at Millie, feeling a sudden sense of unfamiliarity. "You have two choices, Millie—go with them or come with me!"

I reprimanded her as I always had, but this time, she didn't back down. "Go away! I'm staying with Mommy and Papa!"

Millie's words struck me like a sharp needle driven into my flesh.

I stood frozen in place as memories from the last five years came rushing back.

Millie would always come back from Jeremiah's with expensive toys. Sophie would sometimes come home in an evening gown despite working as a janitor every day. There were also moments when Millie and Sophie would double-team me, chatting away in a foreign language I wasn't fluent in.

Every single thing I had doubted in the past finally clicked into place.

I turned around, feeling numb, and forced myself to walk away with my back held straight. I sent a message to that person once I got off the cruise ship. "I'm divorced, so help me relocate to Halport."

Did Sophie honestly believe I would stay by her side just because of Millie?

I dug out my marriage certificate the moment I returned home. I noticed that it was printed on flimsy paper, the county seal wasn't embossed, and there was no registrar's signature. I had been so caught up in the happiness of being married that I didn't notice anything back then.

I ripped the fake marriage certificate to shreds with trembling hands and threw it all in the trash can.

I looked at the two of us smiling so happily in the wedding photo hanging on the wall above our bed—a sight that felt completely ironic now.

Though the Johnson family had fallen on hard times, their family tradition of having the husband marry into the family remained intact.

Mom and Dad disapproved of Sophie because of her job as a janitor. They were worried she would bleed me dry, so they prohibited me from leaving the house until she came up with 30,000 dollars within a week.

Sophie's life had been one long struggle after her business went under, so she certainly didn't have 30,000 dollars lying around. She, however, still kissed me with a smile and said reassuringly, "I'll work something out, so don't worry about it, Steven."

Just as she had promised, Sophie managed to come up with the 30,000 dollars on the seventh day and hand it to Mom and Dad.

I nearly cried at the sight of that much money and held her tightly, trembling all over. I couldn't bear to imagine how many toilets she had scrubbed or how many nights she had worked without sleep to earn it all in a week.

Yet, looking back at it now, Sophie probably never took it seriously while I was worrying myself sick with the whole situation.

I removed the wedding photo from the wall and smashed it with a hammer, laughing bitterly.

Just then, my phone suddenly rang. I answered the video call and instantly saw Millie grinning cheekily at me through the screen. "You'll turn into an ugly monster if you stay mad, Daddy! Mommy and I will be home soon!"

She ran off in a flash after saying that. She didn't end the video call, so I happened to see Sophie on the cruise ship, kissing Joseph affectionately as the crowd egged them on.

There were fireworks bursting across the sky and drones spelling out "I love you, Joseph". There was also some kind of water and light show happening at that moment.

They looked just like a happy family of three, having the time of their lives.

Their happiness was almost unbearable to see.

I knew that kind of happiness came at a cost—money and love. I had neither.

I felt a pang in my chest as I thought about it.

I had always wanted to buy a home in the city with access to a good school district for Millie's sake.

I had finally saved enough money that year, but just as we were about to sign the contract, Sophie accidentally sideswiped some wealthy businessman's car. That man insisted it was a serious accident and was determined to put her behind bars.

I spent days kneeling at that man's front doorstep, pleading with his wife and children to let Sophie off the hook. That man ultimately withdrew the lawsuit, but he took every cent I had saved for the property in the city as the price.

I swallowed my grievances and heartache when Sophie walked out of the police station, not realizing that her deception about being poor had already made a mockery of my dignity and self-respect.

Sophie and Millie returned home at 5:00 am.

Millie, who was still riding the high from having so much fun, actually giggled out loud after seeing the mess scattered across the floor. "Daddy lost his temper!"

Sophie shot Millie a warning look before leaning against my shoulder, looking distressed. "Are you really that upset? You went so far as to smash our wedding photo, Steven… Do you actually want to make a clean break from me? Do you want to divorce me, Steven?"

I looked at her with a bitter smile, staring intently at her flawless profile. "You know very well that we were never legally married! It was all fake! I don't even know what else you've been lying to me about, Sophie!"

Sophie was taken aback. She didn't lose her temper, only looking at me with a helpless expression instead. "Joseph and I just have a marriage of convenience for mutual gains. That's how marriages work in families like ours. I don't have any genuine feelings for him, Steven."

Sophie was saying it as if she had given me any of her genuine feelings.

"I don't want your genuine feelings anymore, Sophie."

I turned to return to my room after saying that, but Sophie suddenly caught hold of me, her voice turning grave. "You know how much I hate that kind of talk…

"Joseph is kind enough not to mind our relationship, but there's a condition if you want to stay with me—he wants to raise Millie as his own. You have nothing to worry about since I've already taken care of the paperwork for that, Steven."

I stared at her in disbelief, my hands trembling slightly. I was completely at a loss for words. Sophie's lung condition had required annual checkups and ongoing treatment for the past five years, with the costs taking up almost half our household budget. Millie's schooling cost money, too.

I had done everything I could to cut our spending and taken on part-time jobs on the side to provide for them. I didn't even dare to spend a penny on myself in the past five years.

I still felt like I hadn't done enough for Millie as her father. She was still my own flesh and blood, no matter how furious I was with her or how much I despised her actions.

I smiled coldly at Sophie and shook my head. "I won't—"

Millie clapped her hands and cheered before I could even finish what I was saying. "Yay! I get to play with Papa again!"

I froze on the spot, my blood running cold.