Chapter 1

I had been remarried to Sabrina Blake for three years.

She cut off all contact with other men on her own and reported everything to me, so much so that even my only good brother couldn't help but say with feeling:

"Man, this is great. You've finally come out the other side."

Until the day of my mother's funeral.

My wife, who had been unable to conceive for years, suddenly handed me a medical report in front of everyone:

"I'm pregnant."

"It's my second child."

"The baby is your good brother Joseph Henson's."

While I stood there stunned.

My wife stepped forward, knelt down beside me, and gazed at my mother's portrait with a soft little laugh:

"Your mother was a mistress once, so no wonder her instincts are so sharp. The marriage certificate really was fake."

"My husband is actually Joseph. You're just like your mother, both of you nothing but the other woman."

The whispers of everyone around me filled my ears. I clenched my fist hard and asked in a trembling voice:

"Why?"

The woman lowered her head and gave a casual little laugh:

"I only remarried you because I lost a game of truth or dare with Joseph. You and I have known each other since we were born, and honestly, what I feel for you now is more like family."

With that, the woman took out a red invitation and handed it to me:

"Tonight is our firstborn's christening dinner. You're Joseph's best brother, so remember to come on time."

The blood in my whole body froze in an instant, and the long-absent voice of the system sounded above me:

"One hundredth deception achieved. The system is about to begin the sever-all-love program."

"Twelve-hour countdown, starting now."

...

The system's prompt kept repeating in my ears, and I jerked my eyes up to look at Sabrina Blake.

It was only in this moment.

That I realized in barely three years since our remarriage, Sabrina Blake had deceived me a full hundred times.

Seeing that I stayed silent and gave no reaction, the woman impatiently stuffed the invitation into my arms:

"I'm going ahead. Joseph gets anxious in crowds, and I still need to be there at the dinner to look after the guests."

"Come help out early."

"Oh, right, bring a bouquet of lisianthus from the shop before you come. Today is also Joseph's and my seventh wedding anniversary, and I want to surprise him."

When she mentioned Joseph Henson, Sabrina Blake's eyes held a tenderness I had never seen before.

The woman didn't even wait for me to speak. She stood up and hurried off.

The whispers and pointing fingers of the people around me filled my ears. I knelt before my mother's portrait, my body trembling uncontrollably.

My gaze fell on a photograph, one Sabrina Blake must have dropped in her hurry just now.

It was a family photo.

In the photo, Sabrina Blake and Joseph Henson each held a hand of the little boy, their faces beaming with happiness.

And their parents sat in the middle, holding, of all things, bouquets from my shop.

The photo was dated last Tuesday, the day the doctor issued my mother's critical-condition notice.

Before she passed, my mother's last wish was to take a family photo. I called Sabrina Blake, but she said she was away on a business trip and couldn't make it back in time.

So it turned out she wasn't on a business trip, and it wasn't that she couldn't come back. At that very moment she was at a family dinner in a restaurant right across from the hospital.

A family dinner without me.

"Excuse me, your time is up. Please leave as soon as you can," a staff member came over to prompt.

When I came back to myself, I stared at the person in front of me, my face full of disbelief:

"What do you mean, time is up? Didn't we rent this venue for the whole day?"

"No, sir. Ms. Blake rented it for one hour."

I froze.

The next second my phone rang. It was a message from Sabrina Blake:

I only rented the venue for your mom's funeral for one hour. Save the money, just get through the motions and be done with it.

You should be finished over there by now. Come to the dinner, I need you for something urgent!

I clenched my fist hard, looked up at my mother's portrait, and she was still smiling gently at me.

"Hello, I want to pay extra to extend the rental."

"I'm sorry, the rest of the time has already been booked. Ms. Blake reserved a week to hold a memorial for her husband's dog."

I have never kept pets.

Joseph Henson was the opposite. He kept over a dozen dogs.

The corner of my mouth twitched, and in my heart I made a decision.

I took a cab to the dinner.

Even though I had braced myself, my heart still lurched violently when I saw the scene.

The most luxurious restaurant in Northport City.

On the stage now, Sabrina Blake and Joseph Henson stood with their fingers laced together, looking down at the little boy before them, the happiness of the family of three almost spilling over.

I watched Sabrina Blake take a pendant from around her neck, then crouch down and, with a tender look on her face, fasten it around the little boy's neck.

I heard her say:

"Mommy hopes you'll live your whole life safe, healthy, and blessed."

My gaze fell on the pendant, and my lips curled into something like a sneer.

Two years ago, Sabrina Blake had suddenly fallen ill and was rushed to the emergency room. The doctors said her chance of surviving was less than thirty percent.

That night, while Sabrina Blake was being worked on in the emergency room, I, who had never believed in gods or spirits, went to North Ridge.

Only because I happened to overhear a passerby say the North Ridge chapel answered prayers best of all.

A night of heavy snow.

I bowed my forehead to the ground with every step, and by the time I reached the top my forehead was smeared with blood.

That day, I prayed for this protection charm.

I still remember how, when she woke that day and saw me covered in blood, then touched the protection charm against my chest, Sabrina Blake held me and wept.

She said:

"Wilfred, let's stay together always, okay?"