Chapter 2

A sharp screech of tires cut through the silence.

Darryl stumbled out of the parked sports car and ran toward me with tearful pleas.

"It's all my fault, Professor Bell! I didn't mess with your data on purpose! You were right to yell at me in the lab. I'm such an idiot. I might as well get run over."

Overwhelmed with drama, he bolted to his feet and lunged toward oncoming traffic.

"No! Don't!"

Serenity pushed me away and held onto Darryl for dear life.

She snapped her head at me angrily.

"Darryl is just a kid. How could you say something so cruel to him?"

I didn't, though.

Locking onto my icy gaze, Darryl broke down harder.

"Professor Bell, a little roughing up wouldn't even begin to make things right. I deserve to die and pay for what I have done, Serenity."

A chuckle escaped my lips.

I was amused by Darryl's pathetic acting and absurd lies.

Nevertheless, Serenity took these lies as proof of my guilt.

"So you lost some lab files."

Serenity grabbed me, her tone firm and cold. "Apologize to Darryl now, or I can't promise what'll happen to your bedridden dad."

Ten years ago, when Connor suffered a stroke and was hospitalized, Serenity arranged for him to move into one of the best rehabilitation centers in the country and covered his astronomical medical bill.

Grateful for what she did, I dedicated my heart and my career to her. I married her and spent ten years developing a drug to save her mother.

Little did I know, Connor—the very reason we got married in the first place—would be used as leverage to hold me hostage.

"Sure."

Then, I turned to Darryl, who was still bawling his eyes out, and bowed to him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Reed."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Reed."

I balled my fists, my fingernails digging into the palms of my hands. I obeyed without protest, no longer putting up a fight.

As blood rushed from her face, Serenity reached out to hold my hands, but out of nowhere, Darryl lost consciousness.

"Darryl? What's wrong? I'll take you to the hospital now."

Serenity's attention was entirely on Darryl. She helped Darryl into the car, not sparing me another look.

I stood alone on the freezing winter street, watching their car disappear into the distance before pulling out my phone and making a call.

"Trinity, can you help me file for divorce? It's the only thing I'll ever ask of you…"

Trinity Hull, Serenity's mother, was on the other end of the line, her voice fragile.

"I know what happened, child. All these years, you've kept my illness a secret from Serenity to save her the worry. You've worked so hard to develop a new treatment, only for her to destroy everything you've accomplished. We never should've let you down…"

"I should be the one to apologize."

I held back the emotion rising in my throat, determined not to let my voice crack.

"I failed to keep my promise to help you get better…"

"You've done your best, child. I'll make sure the nursing facility takes great care of your father and have my lawyer draft the divorce papers. In a week, you'll be free. Just please... don't tell Serenity about my illness. I'm afraid she won't be able to take it."

After the call, I wiped away a stray tear as bitterness overcame me.

The divorce would be finalized a week later, and I would be heading to a research facility in Antarctica, taking on a top-secret experiment I had turned down many times before.

'Serenity, if only you knew what Darryl deleted wasn't just a few lab files.

'He wiped out ten years of our marriage, along with the cure to your mother's illness.

'If you knew the truth, would you still jump to his defense and protect him at all costs?'

By the time I got home, it was late into the night.

Serenity only returned at the break of dawn.

The first thing she did after getting home was yank me out of bed.

Downstairs in the living room, Darryl was sobbing over his phone. The second he saw me, tears welled up in his eyes.

"Serenity, even though Professor Bell launched a smear campaign against me and let the public tear me apart, don't blame him. I brought this on myself. He's only doing this because I messed up."

I was stunned.