Chapter 1
The moment I finished speaking, everyone in the private room froze, their shocked gazes fixed on me, before bursting into laughter.
“Oh, come on, Liam! Who doesn’t know you love Serena more than life itself? When Serena had end-stage kidney disease back then, you gave her one of your kidneys. Do you really expect us to believe you’d marry someone else?”
“Exactly! Can you at least get your story straight before you spout nonsense? Who’d believe such rubbish?”
I smirked inwardly, ignoring their chatter.
It was no wonder they were shocked. I had been madly in love with Serena.
After her kidney disease diagnosis, I didn’t hesitate to donate a kidney to her. To this day, my left kidney still aches faintly on rainy days.
I always gave her the sweetest part of the watermelon. Knowing she hated dragon fruit seeds, I’d painstakingly pick each one out with a toothpick.
Because I loved her, I even tolerated her going on dates with her childhood friend, Ryan, again and again. I tolerated her tying Ryan’s tie and gently wiping his mouth right in front of me.
As long as she came home and remembered she had a husband, I was content.
Everyone knew I was a complete fool in love, beyond saving, and they instinctively assumed I was just spouting angry words earlier.
As they collected themselves, Ryan, who had been silent, picked up a bottle of wine from the table and approached me, saying casually, “Liam, I know you’re still mad about what happened two years ago.”
“It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t been diagnosed with a terminal illness, Serena wouldn’t have aborted your child to give me an heir.”
“Since everyone’s here today, I’ll drink this bottle as an apology to you!”
He chugged the bottle, the burning liquor making him cough uncontrollably.
Serena immediately jumped up, handed her child to a nearby colleague, snatched the bottle, and said, both angry and heartbroken, “Ryan, are you crazy, drinking so much? Even though your condition has been controlled these past few years, you’re still a sick man!”
After comforting Ryan, Serena gave me a haughty look and said coldly, “Liam, you’ve been throwing a tantrum for two years. That’s enough!”
“Ryan and I just did IVF; there was no physical intimacy. Why are you still holding a grudge over such a minor thing?”
Everyone started murmuring.
“Liam is so stubborn. It’s a two-for-one deal; he actually came out ahead!”
“And Serena has been looking for him all these years. He left for two years, and she searched for two years. It’s time to move on from the past.”
So, aborting our child to have a baby for Ryan was just a “minor thing” in Serena’s eyes?
What surprised me, though, was that Serena had actually been looking for me? What for?
Lost in thought, I heard Serena continue, “Alright, Liam, little Leo needs someone to take care of him. Since you’re back, you can take care of him from now on. Even though Leo isn’t your biological child, you’re his nominal father, so you should be responsible for him.”
I scoffed.
Two years hadn’t changed a thing. Serena was still arrogant, giving me orders as if it were her right.
But I was no longer the Liam she could manipulate so easily.
My heart had turned to stone the moment Serena aborted our child two years ago, and I had left the country decisively.
And what I’d said earlier wasn’t just angry words; I genuinely had gotten married and had a child.
After moving abroad, I found a new job, and before long, I met my wife, Victoria.
She was there for me through those dark times. We got married soon after and had a beautiful daughter.
Just thinking about my wife and daughter filled me with warmth.
Snapping back to reality, I coldly refused, “No thanks. I have my own child to take care of. As for your little Leo, let his biological father do it.”
Hearing this, Ryan’s eyes immediately reddened.
“Liam, I know you resent me for causing your child to be aborted, which is why you refuse to take care of my child.”
“I want to raise Leo myself, but my body won’t allow it…”
“It’s because I trust you that I’m entrusting Leo to your care. He’s a very well-behaved child, doesn’t cry or fuss, and won’t be much trouble. Please, I’m begging you, take pity on me, a father, and take care of Leo…”
Ryan made a show of falling to his knees. Serena quickly helped him up and comforted him.
Then, she turned and gave me a cold glance.
“So many people beg to take care of Leo, and I refuse them all. It’s an honor for you to care for him, don’t be ungrateful!”
Her gaze fell on my clothes, and Serena scoffed.
“Liam, you must not have had it easy these past two years abroad, huh? You can’t even wear decent clothes to a class reunion.”
“It’s about time you stopped being so picky. If you take good care of Leo, I can give you ten thousand a month for pocket money. That’s way more than you’d earn working odd jobs.”
Ryan also chimed in, sounding like the man of the house, “Yeah, if you take good care of Leo, Serena and I won’t treat you badly. With us, you won’t have to wear cheap, off-brand clothes.”
It was then that everyone noticed my casual outfit. Immediately, sneering remarks filled the room.
“How did Liam fall so far? He can’t even afford decent clothes!”
“If only he’d known this would happen. I heard Serena’s company took off right after he left. If he hadn’t stubbornly gone abroad, he’d be living a comfortable life now.”
I just curled my lips into a cold smile.
They had no idea. The clothes I was wearing weren’t off-brand; they were custom-designed silk, each piece costing hundreds of thousands.
Seeing me smile, Serena mistakenly thought I was agreeing to take care of Leo.
She pulled out her phone, ready to transfer money to me.
“I’ll transfer ten thousand. Go buy some good clothes later, so you don’t rub your poverty on our little Leo.”
But to her surprise, the message she sent was immediately met with a glaring red exclamation mark!