Chapter 2

Hanging up the phone, my gaze drifted towards the mansion's entrance.

At the gate, Seraphina was intimately leaning against her one true love, Julian. They were laughing and chatting, like a couple deeply in love.

This was the seventh year of my secret marriage to Seraphina, and the sixth year she forbade our daughter from calling her 'Mom.'

Seven years of pouring my heart into her, trying to melt her cold heart, and still, she remained frozen solid.

My fists clenched, a storm of conflicting emotions raged within me.

Suddenly, a tiny hand gently tugged at mine.

I turned sharply to see our daughter, Lily, in a thin nightgown, one hand clutching a worn-out Barbie doll, the other holding onto me.

She looked up, her innocent, wide eyes fixed on mine.

Shocked and heartbroken, I quickly knelt down and said, "Lily, what are you doing out here? It's cold; go back to your room."

As I spoke, I scooped Lily into my arms, ready to carry her inside.

But Lily looked up at me and asked anxiously in a whisper, "Daddy, are we really leaving Mommy?"

My steps faltered. I instinctively glanced back at the intimate figures downstairs.

Then I turned back to Lily, smiling gently, "Lily, the man Seraphina loves is back. We... have no reason to stay."

"Daddy will take you back to our own home, okay?"

Lily looked at the Barbie doll in her arms, her eyes filled with reluctance.

She looked at me again, tears glistening in her eyes, "Daddy, can we please not go? I've... never been allowed to openly call her 'Mom'..."

My heart shattered into a million pieces.

After a long moment, I whispered, "Lily, Seraphina… she doesn't want us around."

Lily said pitifully, "Daddy, I want to give Mommy three more chances. If... if she still doesn't change, then we'll leave, okay?"

I paused, then nodded slightly, softly saying,

"Alright! We'll do what Lily wants. We'll give Seraphina three chances!"

Lily's face immediately lit up with a joyful smile.

I carried Lily back into the mansion, turning to head upstairs.

Just then, Seraphina walked in, a smile on her face.

Lily excitedly wiggled free from my embrace and ran gleefully towards Seraphina, shouting,

"Mommy, you're back!"

Seraphina's face instantly turned sour.

She immediately scowled and snapped at Lily, "Who told you to call me 'Mom'?"

Lily's running abruptly froze, and her bright smile vanished instantly.

She stood still like a child who had done something wrong, utterly bewildered.

Seraphina looked up at me, her voice filled with fury,

"Liam, how many times have I told you?!"

"Don't let her call me 'Mom'! Are you both deaf to what I say?"

Lily recoiled a step in fear, lowering her head, cautiously apologizing, "I'm sorry, Mom... Seraphina!"

I immediately stepped forward, shielding Lily behind me, and glared coldly at Seraphina.

"Seraphina, if you don't like me, fine. But Lily is just a child; why are you yelling at her?"

Seraphina's eyes widened in fury. "Liam, what right do you have to bring up children with me?"

Her face twisted into a cruel sneer, "Don't you remember how that child came to be?!"

Seraphina advanced, poking her index finger viciously at my chest. "Seven years ago, you took advantage of my vulnerability and raped me! You're nothing but a rapist who hurt me!"

Her gaze then turned piercingly to Lily, and she said with disgust, "And she's just the rapist's daughter. Why should I be nice to her?"

I quickly covered Lily's ears, desperate to spare her from her mother's cruel words.

But even for me, those words sent an arctic chill through my soul. I gritted my teeth, glaring at Seraphina, "Seraphina, I'm telling you one last time, seven years ago, *you*…"

"Enough! Liam, how long are you going to keep making excuses? Do you actually think I can't see through your pathetic little scheme?"

"Scheme? Seraphina, if you think this was a scheme, why did you still marry me and have Lily?"

Seraphina's face was utterly devoid of warmth, and she snarled, "Because... I wanted to constantly remind you of the monstrous things you did to me! I want you to pay for what you did!"

My eyes welled up, my voice trembling slightly, "So, from the very beginning, you never loved me, did you?"

Seraphina glanced at my pained expression, and her own eyes reddened. She hissed,

"You? You dare to talk about love with me? From the moment you took advantage of my drunken state and raped me seven years ago, you turned into something utterly repulsive in my eyes!"

As she spoke, tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.

My heart ached. I instinctively reached out to wipe her tears.

Seraphina reacted first, quickly wiping away her tears, taking a deep breath, and looking at me with disdain. "Seven years ago, you did those disgusting things just to climb the social ladder and live a good life. I didn't hold it against you. I gave you luxury cars, a mansion, status, and a position. Liam, what more could you possibly want?"

"Seraphina, have you really thought that way all these years?"

My eyes were red, filled with disbelief. I couldn't fathom that the woman I deeply loved saw me in such a light.

Seraphina's face twisted with contempt. "Otherwise, what else am I supposed to think? I... I'm warning you, don't push your luck. Otherwise, everything I gave you, I can take away just as easily!"

With that, she swept past Lily and me, striding upstairs.

I watched Seraphina's retreating back, silently trying to explain in my heart:

But... Seraphina, I married you, and we had a child, because – I genuinely loved you...

I thought that after marriage, I could slowly melt your cold heart, but I forgot that a heart as cold and unyielding as stone is impossible to warm...

It felt as if an invisible hand had pulled me into the past, and memories flooded back like a tide.

Seven years ago, in a hotel hallway, a clearly intoxicated Seraphina crashed into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

I was instantly flustered and panicked, yet my heart pounded uncontrollably.

In that moment, my world narrowed to this fragile woman in my arms, and then, by a strange twist of fate, we spent one passionate night together.

The next day, Seraphina vanished.

I thought I'd never see her again, but two weeks later, a distraught Seraphina sought me out, telling me she was pregnant.

I was stunned, but I took responsibility and made my commitment.

I concealed my true identity and married Seraphina, secretly using my family's resources to help her.

But her attitude remained utterly indifferent.

After investigating, I understood: Julian had gone abroad that night, which was why Seraphina had gotten so drunk and ended up with me.

Although it was an accident, and Seraphina didn't love me, I believed I could melt her heart.

But for seven whole years, I couldn't melt her heart, and our daughter suffered, deprived of a mother's love.

Now that Julian was back, Lily and I were likely completely irrelevant. It was time to go home.