Chapter 3

Bryan cheered in excitement as he cut the cake with David, while Olivia watched them with all the warmth in her eyes, as if they were the perfect family of three.

None of them spared me a glance.

In the past, seeing that would have left me feeling despondent. However, there was no longer any sorrow left within me.

After the cake was cut, Bryan started demanding to open his gifts.

Olivia’s gift to him was a limited-edition toy sports car.

Then, she turned to me. Her eyes still held that soft affection as she handed me a box.

“Hugh, this is your birthday gift. Open it and see if you like it.”

Inside the box was a luxurious Rolex watch. At one glance, I could tell that it cost a fortune.

However, the same watch had appeared in David’s social media feed just a few days ago.

She really made things easy for herself, keeping everything fair and equal. She gave her husband and her lover the same gift.

I closed the box with a neutral expression and said politely, “Thank you for the gift.”

When she heard my indifferent tone, Olivia’s heart skipped a beat.

She looked at me as if she wanted to say something.

At that moment, Bryan suddenly turned to David with an expectant look on his face. “Uncle, what is my birthday gift? Can I open it now?”

David responded gently, “Of course, you can.”

Bryan tore open the gift and let out an excited cheer. It was the latest smartphone model.

“Wow, this is amazing! Uncle, I love it! This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

He was about to unlock the phone, then he paused. He seemed to remember that his father was still standing nearby.

I had always been strict with him, especially when it came to using his phone. I had set clear rules that he could only use it for half an hour after finishing his homework.

“Daddy, this is a gift from Uncle David. You can’t take it away.”

As he said this, he looked at me warily.

I said indifferently, “I’ll no longer stop you from playing on your phone. You can play as long as you want.”

Olivia looked at me in surprise. “Hugh, what are you saying? Bryan is still young. He can’t be glued to a phone all day.”

A flicker of darkness passed through my expression.

So, she did know that limiting his screen time was something I did for his best interests. However, whenever I tried to discipline Bryan, she would always step in as the “good guy.”

Whenever Bryan was not happy about finishing his screen time allowance and went to her crying, Olivia would always say, “Just let him play a little longer.”

Maybe that was how I became the bad dad in Bryan’s eyes.

As I thought of that, I sneered and repeated the very words she used to say to me. “So, he wants to play a little longer. What of it? If Bryan wants to play, just let him.”

Olivia frowned, displeased. “Hugh, how can you say that?”

Seeing that his gift had caused an argument, David quickly stepped in to mediate. “I should’ve been more considerate when I bought it. Hugh, what did you get for Bryan? Let’s see your gift.”

I gave a hollow smile. “As a father, I clearly don’t matter as much to my son as his uncle. It doesn’t matter what I give him. Bryan, I’ll just give you money. You can buy whatever you want.”

In the past, every year for Bryan’s birthday, I would carefully choose a gift. However, no matter what I gave him, he would always toss it aside and praise only the gift from his uncle.

I used to think it was simply because I did not choose the right gift for him, but the truth was, it was not about the gift at all. It was because I was never truly appreciated.

No matter what I gave him, the result was always the same.