Chapter 3

Everyone was lying to me.

I saw Grace gently fasten the seat belt for the young girl before she drove off.

I stood there stiffly until she slammed on the brakes and met my eyes in terror.

“Sam, why are you here?!”

Ken and her parents were also stunned. They all stared at her helplessly.

Grace got out of the car and ran toward me in a panic.

“Is this what you mean when you say you’re busy at work? Is this what you do when you don’t have time to drop Jack at school?”

“No, hear me out! It wasn’t very convenient for Ken to raise his daughter alone as a man. He asked me for help—”

“Aren’t your parents here? How is it inconvenient for him?”

Grace could not answer.

The little girl in the passenger seat called out to her, “Mom, I’m going to be late for school!”

It fell dead silent after that.

Ken quickly covered her mouth. Grace’s parents stomped their feet in frustration.

Grace’s face turned pale.

I clenched my fists as my palms turned sweaty.

“Grace, you said your working hours are from six in the morning to eight at night, so I’ve been the one tasked with fetching our son, even though I have work too!

“I do that because I understand you’re busy at work and I want to be considerate to you.

“I didn’t expect your ‘business’ was taking care of an outsider’s child!”

She shook her head.

“No, you’ve misunderstood this!”

“No. I understand it just fine. Your attention is focused on your other family.”

I said coldly, “I overestimated my importance in your life. It seems Jack and I are the outsiders in this situation.”

Grace froze as blood drained from her face.

“You’re my husband! That child isn’t—”

“How dare you say she’s not your daughter?! Grace, if you wanted to lie to me, why weren’t you cautious enough to hide her birth certificate in a more secret place?”

I showed her the photo on my phone, and her breath caught in her throat.

On the birth certificate, it was clearly outlined that Ken and Grace were Hailey Smith’s parents.

When she was asleep last night, I went through her phone and tablet.

When I saw the birth certificate, I bit down on my lip until it bled so I would not act rashly and hurt her instead.

When Ken heard the commotion, he told Grace’s parents to take Hailey into the house and walked over to us.

He hung his head and whispered, “Sam, please don’t be angry at Grace…”

Grace immediately shielded him because she was afraid that I would hurt him.

“You should head in first. I’ll explain everything to him.”

“No, I can’t let you face this on your own.”

I watched silently as they supported each other, and I suddenly felt like a clown.

Last night, before I saw the text message from the property management, I thought we were a happy family.

Instead, everything had changed. I was witnessing their love.

The pain in my heart slowly turned numb, and I was only left with anger.

“Head in? Where to? To the mansion you pay a property management fee of $1,500?

“Ken, you’re staying in such a big mansion, so why are you still working for us in our small house? You must be itching to curse me every time you see me.”

Ken hung his head even lower. “I didn’t…”

Grace frowned.

“Sam, stop it! Attack me all you want, but don’t say that to him.

“Let’s head home first. I’ll explain everything properly.”

I was furious. I slapped her.

“Which home? You spent all your salary here! This is your home!”

Grace was dumbfounded by the slap. Ken was so shocked that he touched her face soothingly.