Chapter 4

I stepped back quickly and sank onto the sofa.

Serena came out, drying her hair, and froze when she saw me.

“Not asleep yet?”

“Waiting for you,” I said with a smile.

She glanced at her phone, her expression unreadable, though her fingers moved quickly across the screen.

Before bed, she pressed a kiss to my cheek.

That gesture had once made my heart flutter. Now, it felt hollow.

My phone vibrated in my pocket.

I pulled it out—it was a file from Liam.

I opened it.

The first page was a timeline.

Seven years ago, Serena went on her first business trip to Rivershire City.

Six years ago, she spent an entire year on business there.

That same year, Noah was born.

On the birth certificate, the mother’s column was blank, but the emergency contact listed Serena’s phone number.

Four years ago, three years ago, two years ago…

Every year, she made multiple trips to Rivershire.

Each trip left expense records, each one included transfers to James.

Serena and I got married six years ago.

Ethan turned five this year, and Noah six.

While I had thought we were building a future together, she had long since built another family.

The phone vibrated again.

Liam sent another message:

[There’s one more thing, Mr. Drake. The night you had your heart surgery, Ms. Serena was with James for his birthday.]

…

I stared at the words, and the world around me fell silent.

I remembered every detail of that night.

A sudden acute myocarditis had struck me.

The situation was critical, so the doctors scheduled an emergency heart surgery.

As I signed the pre-op forms, my hand trembled so badly I could barely write.

“Where’s my wife?” I asked.

The nurse’s face was full of sympathy. “Mr. Drake, Mrs. Drake had urgent company matters. She’ll be back soon.”

Even as the anesthesia began to take hold on the operating table, I thought—when she arrived, I would give her a piece of my mind.

When I woke up, the first thing I saw was Serena sitting by my hospital bed, her eyes red, gripping my hand, and apologizing over and over.

“I’m sorry, Lucas… I deserve this… I really deserve this…”

She slapped her own face, the sound sharp and loud.

Even the nurses couldn’t stand it and came over to hold her.

At that moment, my heart softened.

I even comforted her in return.

“It’s okay. I’m fine, aren’t I?”

She said, “I’ll never do it again. I swear, for the rest of my life, I won’t let you face these things alone.”

So that was the truth.

“Dad?”

Ethan’s sleepy voice came from his room.

I snapped back to reality, noticing my hand trembling, almost dropping my phone.

Ethan rubbed his eyes and sat up. “I had a bad dream…”

“It’s okay. Dad’s here.”

I sat on the edge of the bed and pulled him into my arms.

His body was soft, and he smelled of baby powder.

This was my precious son, the one I cherished most in the world.

And his mother… wanted to use his health to save another child.

Hatred spiraled like a poisonous vine from the depths of my heart, wrapping tightly around my chest until I could barely breathe.

When I returned to our bedroom, Serena was already asleep.

I climbed into bed and looked at her sleeping face.

My hand moved on its own, rising—and then—

*Smack!*

The crisp sound of a slap exploded in the quiet room.

Serena woke up with a start, covering her face. “What’s wrong?!”

I looked at my hand, then at the rapidly reddening mark on her cheek, and slowly smiled.

“I saw a mosquito on your face… forgot my strength.”

She froze for a few seconds.

Her shock softened into confusion, then finally resigned amusement. “You… how did you get so rough?”

She lay back down and reached out to pull me close.

“Sleep,” she mumbled, and quickly drifted off again.