Chapter 1

Gina Spencer and Beckett Jobling were obviously stunned as well.

The smile froze on Beckett's face, and Gina let go of his hand as if she'd been shocked.

She placed Jamie Jobling into Beckett's arms, her voice trembling with panic. "Joseph, what are you doing here?"

I stared at the three of them, unable to tear my eyes away, but I didn't answer.

Beckett held Jamie tightly, with his face turning pale. "Joseph, let me explain. It's not what you think…"

"Then, what is it?"

I pointed at the wedding portrait hanging on the wall, my finger shaking. "When did you marry Beckett, Gina? How come no one invited me to the wedding?"

Gina started to walk toward me as if she wanted to hug me, but she stopped halfway. "It's complicated, Joseph. Back then, everyone thought you were dead. That's why we…"

I cut her off in a shaky voice, "I was only missing for two years, yet your child is already three years old. You two got together long before that, didn't you?"

More than Gina remarrying, what I couldn't accept was that she had cheated on me during our marriage and with my best friend of all people. They had even had a child before anything happened to me.

Faced with my questioning, neither Gina nor Beckett could say a word.

Gina just kept crying while apologizing over and over, while Beckett remained silent.

I looked around the house again. The living room was filled with toys. The couch and curtains had all been replaced. Family photos of the three of them hung on the walls.

Gina was holding Jamie, smiling as she leaned against Beckett's chest. That smile was like a knife that stabbed into my eyes.

After what felt like an eternity, Gina wiped away her tears and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Joseph, let's leave the past in the past. We're all so happy that you made it back alive."

I retorted, "I went from being your legal husband to the other man. Do you think that's something that can just be left in the past?"

The moment I finished speaking, Jamie burst into tears. Beckett hurriedly tried to comfort him.

Gina glanced over, her brows tightly knitted. "Joseph, I know I've wronged you, but Beckett and Jamie are innocent. Stop making a scene here."

This house had been our marital home. Now, not only had someone else moved in, but she was also trying to throw me out.

"This is my home! Why should I leave?" I shouted.

Gina shoved me straight out the door. "Calm down, Joseph! Whatever this is, we'll talk about it tomorrow. Don't scare Jamie."

The front door slammed shut with a bang.

Not long afterward, I heard Jamie's laughter from inside. Gina was softly coaxing him, saying, "Come here, Mommy will hold you."

Meanwhile, Beckett affectionately called her "honey".

They were a happy family of three. I was the one who looked like a raving lunatic making an unreasonable scene.

Suddenly, a ringing filled my ears. It felt as though I had been transported back to that battlefield two years earlier.

Shells rained down from the sky. Shrapnel lodged itself into my flesh, and the pain was so intense I couldn't utter a single word.

When I woke up again, I remembered nothing.

But one thought kept echoing in my mind—I had to stay alive because someone was waiting for me to come home.

That belief pulled me back from the brink over and over again. Day after day, I took medication, underwent IV treatments, and attended psychological counseling.

Eventually, I remembered everything.

I remembered my family. I remembered the woman I'd loved since childhood. I remembered the adopted brother I'd grown up with.

Ignoring my doctor's advice, I dragged my battered body onto a plane and flew home after a journey of more than a dozen hours.

I never imagined that this would be the welcome waiting for me.

I drove straight to Mendel Manor. When I arrived, my mother, Rosie Carter, was sitting on the couch reading.

Finally seeing my family again after two years, tears instantly welled up in my eyes.

I walked over, my voice choked with emotion. "Mom, I'm home."

Before I could say another word, a slap landed across my face.

"You ungrateful brat! How dare you show your face here?"