Chapter 3

I smiled bitterly and shook my head, finally laying bare the secrets of my marriage.

"Mia is just unbelievable!" Mason snapped, slamming his fist on the table. "You held nothing back and gave her everything, and she still cheated on you. If you ask me, you should never have gotten together with her in the first place."

I took a hard gulp of whiskey. "I don't even know how it turned out like this. Back then, she was so good to me. Even after the miscarriage, she never blamed me. But now…"

Mason's expression shifted several times. After hesitating for a long while, he pulled his phone out, scrolled through his photo gallery, and placed it in front of me.

It was a consent form for a drug-induced abortion.

And under the section for the accompanying person was a signature—Jackson.

I snatched up the phone, staring at the words in disbelief.

"I always felt something was off," Mason said quietly. "But I only found solid proof recently. I was afraid it would hurt you, so I never dared to say anything."

My eyes locked onto Mia's name on the screen. Rage flooded my chest.

"So both this pregnancy and the last one were Jackson's children."

How dare she go this far?

In that instant, the property transfer documents flashed through my mind. Everything suddenly fell into place.

Mia must have been cheating on me for a long time, and she might have even been pregnant with Jackson's baby back then. But at the time, she was a housewife with no income, and Jackson was just a college student. So she didn't dare to give birth to the baby.

But things were different now—she was about to get my apartment.

Once all my assets were in her hands, she would have nothing to fear. Even if she got pregnant, she would only think about running off with her lover.

Thinking back on it now, I felt like a complete fool.

My breathing turned ragged. My body swayed as I braced myself against the table to keep from collapsing.

"Owen, are you alright?" Mason rushed to steady me. "Don't wreck your health over this. Divorce her. You should just cut ties completely with a woman like that.

"As for Jackson, he's only so arrogant because he's the CEO's illegitimate son. But everyone knows you're the real backbone of that company. Say the word, and I'll help you bring Cabot Corporation down."

"You're right." I clenched the phone in my hand, lowering my voice. "I'm going to make them pay."

…

A few days later, it happened to be Mia's birthday. Using overtime as an excuse, I stayed out late into the night discussing the divorce with my lawyer.

When I returned to the apartment complex, I saw Jackson's luxury car parked downstairs. My blood went cold instantly. I parked my car, hurried upstairs, and pushed the door open.

I walked straight into Jackson as he was about to leave, while Mia leaned against the entryway, gazing at him with clear reluctance.

They both froze for a split second when they saw me.

Mia recovered first. "Owen, you're done with overtime? It's my birthday today. Jackson came by specially to bring me a gift."

A gift? More like he delivered himself to her doorstep.

I looked straight at the man in front of me, meeting his gaze. I had to admit, he did have the looks to charm women.

He sized me up from head to toe, the disdain in his eyes undisguised.

"You work yourself to the bone every single day. You don't even have time to spend your wife's birthday with her," he sneered. "And you only make that small amount of money? How about I talk to my dad and have you fired? That way you can find a new job."

"Fire me?"

I forced myself to hold back from punching him. With a cold smile, I raised a brow and shot back, "Please. In this company, I matter a lot more than you."

Everyone in the company knew it. Jackson was nothing more than the CEO's illegitimate son. Aside from getting his monthly allowance, he held no real power.

I, on the other hand, was responsible for the company's entire underlying framework—its lifeline.