Chapter 7

"Oliver finally has the fatherly love he’s been missing. No one can take away something that belongs to us!"

The words were blindingly harsh, and the photo that followed was like a sharp blade, cutting straight into my heart.

In the picture, the three of them—Mike, Jennifer, and little Oliver—were huddled closely together.

Their faces beamed with happiness, the perfect image of a warm and loving family of three.

Almost as if possessed, I tapped “like” on the post.

As if that casual, indifferent action could somehow hide the devastation roiling inside me.

But before I could even gather my thoughts, my phone chimed with a ding.

A new message popped up—it was from Jennifer.

Confused, I opened it.

It was a video.

And there, clear as day on the screen, was Mike’s familiar yet increasingly unfamiliar handsome face.

The timestamp showed it was from shortly after he returned to the country.

In the video, a friend teased,

“Mike, what do you think is the happiest thing in life?”

Mike gave a lazy smile, but there was a tenderness in his eyes I had never seen before.

He answered in a relaxed tone, “Last week overseas, after coaxing Oliver to sleep, I pulled Jennifer into the bathroom.”

Laughter erupted from the people around him.

But on this side of the screen, I felt cold from head to toe, as if I had been dropped into a frozen abyss.

Before I could fully process the shock, another memory surfaced—a moment when Jennifer had once shared a post that read, “After having a kid, we never get alone time anymore. We can only sneak around after Oliver’s asleep to do this and that…”

The implied intimacy between those lines now hit me like a hammer, each word pounding against my already shattered heart.

Just then, my phone buzzed again—another message from Jennifer.

“So sorry, I sent that by accident. Meant to send it to someone else, and by the time I realized, I couldn’t recall it.”

Then came another.

“But honestly, I think you already know how Mike feels, don’t you? You forced your way into this marriage with all your little tricks. The only reason you became Mrs. Ashton was because you backed him into a corner. For the past three years abroad, he’s been with me and Oliver. Even though Oliver’s not his biological child, Mike treats him even better than a real father would. Even if we separated, he’s never been able to let me go. It’s only a matter of time before we’re back together.”

My heart felt like it was steeped in bitter water, each word soaking deeper than the last.

To top it all off, she sent one last image—

Oliver stood in the center, grinning brightly, while she and Mike kissed either side of his face.

A flawless picture of a “perfect family”.

I stared at the screen, lips twitching into a bitter, self-mocking smile.

Then my fingers flew over the keyboard and typed just two words.

“Alright then.”

I took a deep breath and dialed my father’s number.

The line connected, and his familiar voice came through. “Hello?”

I fought back the sting behind my nose and tried to keep my voice calm.

“Dad, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to take Melanie and settle abroad. We’ll leave in a few days.”

There was a pause on the other end, then a burst of joy.

“Really?

But I heard Mike has just returned to the country—didn’t your little family finally reunite? Is he okay with you leaving?”

Hearing that, my eyes reddened.

I let out a cold, bitter laugh. “He couldn’t be more thrilled.”