Chapter 3

Everyone said we weren’t a match.

But Serena, with sheer stubbornness, carved out her own place in the world.

She had said, “Lucas, I want to prove to your father that I am worthy of you.”

On the day she proposed, she booked the entire theater.

Hundreds of performers acted out our story on stage, ending with the question, “Lucas, will you marry me?”

At that time, she had only been running her business for three years, and the proposal nearly emptied all her savings.

I had ached at the thought of such waste.

She had knelt on one knee, holding up the ring.

“Compared to everything you’ve done for me, what is this?”

I slid the ring onto my finger.

After our wedding, I managed her company while taking care of our home.

I reviewed every contract she signed and accompanied her to every important client meeting.

The company had reached its current scale with half her talent and half my effort.

I thought that was the most beautiful form of love—growing from campus romance to wedding vows, building something from nothing, fighting side by side.

But now?

Pasta steamed in the pot as I mechanically stirred the mushrooms.

“Dad, the food’s going to burn.”

Ethan’s voice pulled me back to reality.

I turned off the heat and plated the dishes.

Just then, the door clicked.

Serena had returned.

“It smells amazing.”

“I made your favorite,” I said, turning back to the kitchen to grab utensils.

She followed, naturally taking a plate from my hands.

The instant our fingers touched, I almost pulled back.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“Nothing… a little hot,” I forced a smile.

The dining table was quiet, filled only with the clatter of forks on plates.

“By the way,” I said casually, “today I took Ethan for his checkup and ran into something strange.”

Serena paused mid-bite. “What happened?”

“The nurse said Ethan needed a kidney donor match test, that you had specifically added the option.”

I looked up at her, smiling gently.

“I was wondering which of our family members might need a kidney. So I asked at the nurse’s station, and guess what?”

Serena swallowed.

“I saw a form—the patient’s name was Noah Vaughn, and the family signature was yours.”

I smiled warmly at her.

“I thought it might be a relative’s child, so I went to the room. There I saw a man named James Carter, saying he was your distant cousin?”

Serena’s expression froze.

“How do you know about them?” Her voice was dry.

“I’m just concerned about you,” I said, offering her another serving.

“Your cousin brings a child here for treatment. Something this big—why didn’t you tell me? I could have helped smooth things with the hospital.”

She visibly relaxed.

“Ah… I just didn’t want to tire you out.”

She looked down at her plate.

“Your schedule with the company is busy enough, and you handle the house too. I thought I could manage distant relatives myself.”

A watertight explanation.

If it weren’t for Noah’s face, I might have actually believed her.

“I see,” I said with a smile, not pressing further.

After dinner, Serena went to the shower. Water gushed steadily.

Her phone lit up again.

I walked over. On the screen was a preview of WhatsApp notifications:

James: [Your husband came today, I’m so scared.

[Will he hurt our child?

[When are you coming to see Noah? He says he misses his Mom.]

The shower was silent.