Chapter 2

A year after leaving the country, I returned home to find that the only person waiting to pick me up was my son, still wearing his delivery uniform.

The moment I saw how much darker he'd become and how much weight he'd lost, my eyes instantly turned red.

When I left, Jared had been a fair-skinned, bespectacled young man with a scholarly look about him. How had he changed this much in just one year?

"Dad."

Jared seemed a little shy. After greeting me, he didn't make any further move.

I immediately pulled him into a hug and laughed as I scolded him.

"What's this? You don't even recognize your own father anymore? All that money I gave you must've been wasted!"

His body stiffened.

Only after hesitating for a moment did he return the hug before answering awkwardly.

"It's not that. You came back so suddenly. If you'd told me a few days earlier, I would've been prepared. I'm still trying to process it."

I draped an arm around his shoulders and walked toward the airport exit.

"Fine. This time I'll stay longer and keep you company. Let's see if you're still in shock then. Come on, let's go home."

I chatted and joked with Jared along the way, but the thought of going home left me cold.

Before boarding my flight, I called both Olivia and Jared.

Jared answered.

Olivia hadn't even picked up.

When I mentioned it, Jared merely responded with a quiet acknowledgment.

"She's probably... out shopping with Cyrus. He's starting college soon, so she wants to help him buy everything he'll need.

"You're starting college too, aren't you? Why isn't she taking you shopping? A few days ago, she even posted about buying Cyrus a Submariner. Does he even know how to appreciate a watch like that?"

The more I thought about it, the more irritated I became.

The idea of going home and seeing those two only made it worse.

I immediately changed my mind.

"Jared, let's not go home yet. How about we go to your place instead? We haven't had a proper father-son talk in a long time. The reason I came back this time is because of you."

I needed to understand the situation from my son's side first.

"Sure."

The smile on Jared's face looked forced.

For a brief moment, he looked like he wanted to refuse, but I didn't notice.

Instead, I quietly reminded him, "And stop pushing yourself so hard with those delivery jobs. There's no shame in honest work, but our family isn't in a position where you need to be out there doing that."

"Got it. Thanks, Dad."

Jared brushed it off with a perfunctory response.

I sensed something was off and let the matter drop.

We took a taxi to the entrance of his residential complex, only to be stopped by security.

"This is a luxury community. Delivery drivers aren't allowed inside!"

The security guard looked down his nose at my son.

Jared lowered his head slightly, unable to say a word.

I spoke up coldly from the side.

"Delivery drivers aren't allowed in? Fine. What about homeowners? He's the owner of Villa 1, Building 5, Unit 24! What kind of training does your management company provide? How can you be this unprofessional?"

It was the gift I gave Jared when he was accepted into a top high school.

The security guard merely sneered.

"Sir, you shouldn't say things like that. I know all the homeowners here. That villa hasn't belonged to him for a long time. It belongs to Mr. Young now. I don't have the authority to let him in."

I frowned.

It took me only a second to realize exactly who this "Mr. Young" was.

I immediately turned to Jared in disbelief.

"Cyrus Young? The villa belongs to Cyrus now?!"

Jared stayed silent for a long moment before finally nodding.

I grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look me in the eye.

"Jared, tell me what's going on."

"...It's nothing, Dad. Please don't ask."

Jared instinctively looked away.

The more reluctant he was, the more certain I became that something was wrong.

Only after I pressed him repeatedly did he grit his teeth and speak.

"It... it was Mom. She made me transfer it to him. She said there was no point in me keeping it anyway."

I was so furious I nearly saw red.

"And then she just gave your house to him?! She never even mentioned this to me!"

I was still seething when, by sheer coincidence, I saw Cyrus and Olivia approaching the entrance, chatting and laughing together.

"Yeah, Mom, I really liked that outfit. The only problem is that the custom tailoring was a little expensive."

Olivia covered her mouth and laughed.

"Oh, my boy, what's a little money? You're already wearing a Submariner."

The moment they spotted Jared and me standing at the gate, both of them froze mid-step.

Cyrus was the first to speak, though his expression looked awkward.

"M-Mr. Ford."

I didn't even spare him a glance.

My fists clenched so tightly that my knuckles cracked as I stared at Olivia.

"What did he just call you? Mom?"