Chapter 3

"At first, I did have some feelings for her—but I never expected her to be someone who sleep with others so easily."

He paused, took a long drag from his cigarette, and through the swirling smoke, his expression grew even colder.

"Just thinking about how she drugged me that night and threw herself at me… it makes me feel disgusted."

I stood frozen, overwhelmed by a tide of grievance and sorrow.

I opened my mouth, unsure how to even begin explaining the truth, but before I could say a word, he had already applied for a visa and left the country just two weeks later.

And as if fate was mocking me, that absurd night had left me with a child.

In the days that followed, I bore the hardship of pregnancy alone.

I brought my daughter Melanie into the world in solitude, and every day since, I waited in that empty house, endlessly hoping for his return.

But after all the waiting, what I got instead was the sight of him entangled with Jennifer and her son—that scene cut into my heart again and again like a blade.

In this echoing, empty villa, loneliness clung to me like a shadow.

Feeling utterly desolate, I slowly pulled out my phone.

My fingertips trembled as I hovered over Mike’s number, wanting to ask when he was coming back.

Just then, the door creaked open.

Mike walked in with large strides, his expression cold and distant.

His eyes casually swept over the sleeping Melanie as he said indifferently, “Oliver is coming over to play tomorrow. You and Melanie should go out.”

Seeing the confusion on my face, he gave a faint smile—but it didn’t reach his eyes.

He explained blandly, “Oliver gets possessive. He can’t stand other kids calling me ‘dad’.”

The anger that had just been simmering in my chest suddenly ignited like a barrel of gunpowder, exploding all at once.

I trembled with rage, but my lips curved into a mocking, bitter smile as I stared at Mike and said, enunciating every word, “Mike, do you even know who your real child is?”

I paused, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm myself, though my voice still quivered uncontrollably.

“Do you have any idea what happened to Melanie at nursery today…”

Before I could finish, Mike furrowed his brows slightly and raised his hand to cut me off impatiently.

“Shannon, there’s no need for you to remind me about this kind of thing.”

He turned his head slightly, his tone detached, as if stating something utterly inconsequential.

“It was my oversight at the nursery today. I’m sorry for that. But Oliver also had a parents' evening. Jennifer is raising him alone after the divorce—she’s overwhelmed, and she really couldn’t handle it on her own.”

He let out a soft sigh, and a flicker of emotion I couldn’t quite decipher passed through his eyes.

He continued, “Besides, I made a promise to Jennifer long before I ever met you—that no matter what happened, I would never let her suffer.”

At that, his gaze suddenly became sharp.

When he looked at me, there was distance and coldness in his eyes.

“I already married you, just like you wanted. But don’t try to stop me from caring for them. I owe them that.”

With those words, he casually tossed his jacket onto the couch and headed straight to the bathroom.

The bathroom door slammed shut with a loud bang, and the sound of rushing water roared to life.

That sound—it felt like an impenetrable wall, drowning out my helpless sobs, swallowing them whole.