Chapter 2

He was the boy I had raised since he was a baby. He had been a soft, sweet little thing who used to wrap his arms around my neck and say, “I love you the most, Daddy.”

However, as he grew older, he became more and more impatient with me.

Somewhere along the way, the boy I loved with my whole life stopped making room for me in his heart. There was only Uncle David.

He preferred David over his own father, the father who had been there every single day.

A sudden sting rose in my nose, but I forced back the urge to cry.

Bryan was the one I had worried about the most. I had even considered staying for him.

It seemed I had only been fooling myself.

When she heard the commotion, Olivia hurried upstairs. When she saw what was happening, she quickly pulled Bryan in front of her.

“Bryan, what are you doing? How can you hit your dad? What have I always taught you? You’re supposed to respect him and behave. Why are you being so disobedient? Apologize to your father right now. And today is your dad’s birthday too. Why won’t you let him cut the cake with you?”

Bryan puffed up his cheeks and shouted, “I did nothing wrong! Today is my birthday. If Uncle hadn’t told me to come get him, I wouldn’t have come at all. He was mean to Uncle too. He’s the bad one. It’s his fault for not spending my birthday with me. I did nothing wrong!”

After saying that, he turned to look at David. “Good thing I have Uncle. I’m cutting the cake with him this year. I don’t want Daddy to do it with me anymore.”

I watched my son scream, cry, and refuse to admit any fault. My heart was filled with disappointment. This was the child I had loved for five years.

Olivia looked at our son, then turned to me with a hint of awkwardness. “Hugh, it’s Bryan’s birthday today. Just let it go. I’ll discipline him later.”

As I gazed at her, I understood perfectly. She probably agreed with what Bryan said.

Sure enough, she continued a moment later. There was a complaining edge to her tone as she said, “But you’re at fault too, Hugh. Bryan is still so young. This is when he needs people around him the most. How can you keep leaving him on his own? It’s a good thing David has been there for him. No wonder the boy sides with his uncle instead of you.”

Even though I had long since stopped expecting anything, sadness still settled in my chest.

The system’s punishment was already unbearable. On top of that, I had to devote what little strength I had left each day to caring for Bryan. He demanded constant attention. The only times I ever stepped back were when I simply could not stay on my feet any longer. I would ask him to let me have a moment to myself.

I never expected that I, the father who had raised him since he was born, would be judged for taking the occasional moment to rest. In an instant, I became the most irresponsible father, while David, who had only ever spent a little time playing with him, was treated like the one who had done everything right.

How absurd.

Perhaps my expression looked really dark, so Olivia tried to smooth things over.

She gave Bryan a final warning, saying, “Bryan, apologize to your father. No matter what, hitting him is wrong. After you apologize, you can cut the cake together with your father and your uncle.”

Bryan pouted. He looked like he had been wrongly accused, but he mumbled an apology anyway.

“I’m sorry, Daddy. You can cut the cake with Uncle and me, but you can’t bully Uncle anymore. If you do, I’ll hit you again.”

Bryan still looked just as adorable as ever. In the past, just looking at him made my heart melt. I would have given that boy the moon if I could.

However, at this moment, all I felt was a coldness spreading through my limbs. This was the child I had loved for five years.

My voice came out very soft, like I was suppressing something. “It’s fine. You can cut the cake with your uncle.”

I had no intention of eating that cake. Besides, I would not be at any of his future birthdays. It did not matter who cut the cake anymore.