Chapter 2

Jordan's POV

Matthew, who had never contacted me before, sent me a friend request at that moment. The pinned post on his social media feed showed the wedding ceremony he and Talia had held a few days earlier to make up for the one they'd missed.

When Talia told me she was traveling abroad on a business trip, I'd spent the entire night sitting anxiously in the living room, unable to sleep.

Meanwhile, she was on the other side of the world, promising forever to another man.

I scrolled down and realized it was full of records of Talia traveling around the world with Matthew and their son.

Yet, in the five years of our relationship, the only thing I had ever asked of her was to take a honeymoon trip with me.

As it turned out, the wish I'd never been able to fulfill was just part of Matthew and James' everyday life.

The last straw that broke my back was a photo album. It contained tens of thousands of photos taken through Talia's lens. Each one stung my eyes.

Whenever we went shopping or took a walk together, I'd beg Talia to take a picture with me as a keepsake. However, she'd only wave her hand impatiently. "There's nothing worth photographing. Besides, I don't know how."

It hit me then that she wasn't bad at taking pictures; she simply didn't want to take them for me.

Just then, she wrapped up her call and walked back inside.

She wrapped her arms around me from behind and apologized to me, as if she'd only made a minor mistake. "I'm sorry for keeping this from you for such a long time, Jordan. I'll make it up to you by taking you on our honeymoon next time."

I couldn't believe that she actually thought she could gloss over such a hideous truth with a few words.

I shoved her away. "Forget it! You've been lying to me for five years. Do you really think I'm that easy to fool? Let's just… break up."

I abruptly realized I wasn't even in a position to ask for a divorce.

Talia's expression instantly darkened. "My husband shouldn't make a mountain out of a molehill."

When she noticed my teary eyes, her tone softened slightly. "In time, James will call you Dad, too. As far as everyone else is concerned, you're already my husband. Why are you so hung up on a marriage certificate?"

The emotions I'd bottled up all this time finally overflowed. "Do you think this is fair to me? It's not!"

Not only did I have zero legal standing, but now I had to play father to her lover's son.

To my surprise, she looked at me as if I was insane. Her tone remained calm. "You're the only head of the house. No matter what, he's just my foster brother. So, you ought to set an example.

"Matthew's birthday party is tomorrow. Be sure to show up on time. I'm sure you won't make a scene again." Having said her piece, she spun on her heel and left.

I let out a bitter chuckle.

Talia didn't come home that night. In fact, she popped up in Matthew's feed.

The woman who had once sworn she'd never set foot in a kitchen was now frolicking in one with Matthew and James.

Flour and butter were scattered all over them. Had it been me in that kitchen, she would've pinched her nose and complained about the smell of cooking oil and smoke.

At that moment, I received a video from an unknown number.

A doctor was carrying a newborn baby that was still covered in amniotic fluid and was about to walk out of the delivery room.

Matthew abruptly stumbled into the frame, pleading with Talia, "The doctor just told me that I'll probably never be able to have children... No one will ever marry me, and I'll never get to be a father. Talia, are you really going to be so heartless as to abandon me?"

Talia cradled the infant and looked torn.

I recognized that infant at a single glance. He was the child she had carried for ten months and claimed had "died shortly after birth".

In the video, however, his cries were loud, and his complexion was healthy and rosy. Morbid curiosity compelled me to keep watching.

My heart leaped into my throat until Talia handed the child over to Matthew. Her next words left my ears ringing. "Go out and tell my husband that our baby died right after birth."