Chapter 3

After that, I ignored their reactions and turned around to go back to the bedroom to pack my things.

Since I had already decided to leave for good, I didn’t want to leave behind any trace of myself here.

The laughter from outside the living room came through the door, and my hands folding clothes paused slightly.

"Kevin, I want this baby to keep your last name. That way, even if he calls someone else dad in the future, he’ll still always remember that you’re his real father."

Even without seeing it myself, I could imagine the deep affection on Chloe’s face when she said that.

And my heart had already been left by her in ruins.

I suddenly thought of last month, when I had rushed home with souvenirs I had specially bought for Chloe overseas.

But at the doorway, I saw Chloe and Kevin walking back hand in hand from a stroll.

Unlike the panic on Chloe’s face, Kevin looked at me with confusion and asked if I had come to the wrong house.

I didn’t say a word, only stared fixedly at Chloe’s pregnant belly.

After being away from home for eleven months, my wife was pregnant.

No matter what, I couldn’t lie to myself and say this child could be mine.

Only when Chloe hurriedly stepped in front of Kevin to introduce him to me did I hear her say,

"This is my husband, Ethan."

I had thought that after hearing that, Kevin would at least restrain himself, but instead, he invited me in like he was the master of the house and told me to sit for a while.

As we brushed past each other, he lowered his voice so only the two of us could hear.

"I heard you’re a lot older than me? Then I’ll call you bro, I guess, since the baby in your wife’s belly is mine."

My blood surged hot in my chest, and I couldn’t hold back anymore. I smashed my fist hard into his face.

I completely lost my reason, and the longing from those eleven months apart from Chloe turned into rage.

If I had had a knife in my hand, I might really have killed that cheating man and woman on the spot.

It wasn’t until a neighbor heard the noise and called the police.

We were both taken in, but because it involved family matters, the police couldn’t really get involved and could only let us go home first.

The moment we got home, my Mr. Hale and Mrs. Halerushed over after hearing the news, and without asking anything, they launched straight into yelling at me.

They said I had just come back and already caused such a huge scene that the neighbors had a field day laughing at us.

They also said all those years of school had been wasted on me if I could still hit someone, and if anything really happened, they would never let me off.

It turned out they had known all along that Chloe and Kevin were together, and they had even strongly supported it.

In just one short year, Kevin had become the perfect son-in-law in their eyes.

I was the only one kept in the dark.

My mouth tasted bitter, and I felt horrible.

Chloe then shakily walked up to me, trying to take my hand and persuade me.

"I never meant to betray you. Kevin isn’t in good health. The doctor said he only has six months left at most. I couldn’t bear to watch him die without even leaving behind an heir."

"I also thought about discussing it with you before, but you were overseas, and I was afraid you’d worry too much and it would affect your studies, so I thought I’d wait until you came back to talk about it."

"If you’re willing, can’t we raise this child together?"

Something as big as raising a child came out of her mouth like it was nothing at all.

I put the last piece of clothing into the suitcase, and just then my Mrs. Halepushed open the door and walked in.

When she saw the suitcase by my feet, she looked as if to say I was finally being sensible, and said, "You never came back before, so I let Kevin sleep in your room. The study’s been turned into the nursery too. You can make do on the couch tonight, or do you want to go stay in a hotel?"

I was truly exhausted, and I didn’t have the energy to go find a hotel anymore.

So I nodded and planned to make do on the sofa for one night.

But in the middle of the night, the baby kept crying from the bedroom.

I turned over, and just as I was about to put on my earplugs, I heard Chloe’s complaint too.

"Can you deal with the baby already? He keeps crying like this."

"Aren’t you my baby? Just take care of you. Let the kid cry a little longer and train his lungs."

Chloe laughed softly and said he was annoying.

Right after that came the sound of the bed shaking.

I pulled the blanket over my head and did my best to ignore those filthy sounds.

But every time I closed my eyes, Chloe’s face from the first time she confessed to me seemed to appear in front of me.

Back then, she was pure and beautiful, and her whole heart and eyes were full of me.

But that version of her no longer belonged to me.