Chapter 3

It was late when we got home. Ethan went to take a shower, and Tommy was already asleep.

I noticed Ethan's tablet on the bedside table, which he had forgotten to lock. I gently tapped it open.

There was a hidden album full of photos of Ethan with Olivia and their son.

He had attended every one of Tommy's birthdays, from age one to three, never missing a single one.

He had taken Olivia and Tommy to amusement parks, making wishes under fireworks.

The three of them posed for photos in high-end restaurants, Ethan with his arm around Olivia, looking like a real family.

In the last video clip, Tommy and Olivia kissed Ethan's cheeks.

Tommy sweetly said, "Happy birthday, Dad!"

Olivia said lovingly, "Happy birthday, darling."

I remembered Ethan's birthday this year. I had prepared recipes a month in advance and carefully cooked a table full of delicacies.

Ethan lied about working overtime, saying he'd come back later to be with me.

I waited until late at night, reheating the dishes over and over, but he never returned.

So he was celebrating with his mistress and illegitimate son.

When Ethan came out of the shower, I was already facing away, pretending to be asleep. He lay down and held me, his breath on the back of my neck.

He said in a low voice, "Lily, I'm sorry. You already have the title of Mrs. Lewis. Olivia has nothing. I'll give her and Tommy half of the company shares."

"As for the harm you've suffered, I'll make it up to you for the rest of my life."

My eyelashes trembled violently as I struggled to contain the fury in my heart.

This man I had lived with day and night had become so unfamiliar.

Five years of love had vanished in the face of this enormous betrayal.

Love and hate became blurred at this moment.

The next morning, the doorbell rang. Ethan's parents arrived with Olivia.

"We heard you adopted a child, so we came specially to see," his mother said with a beaming smile.

Olivia lowered her head with a slight smile: "As his aunt, I also wanted to come see Tommy."

His mother's gaze passed over me, landing directly on Tommy playing in the living room.

His father's eyes reddened: "He looks so much like... so much..."

His mother smiled from ear to ear: "My dear grandson, we've finally met you."

Seeing how affectionate his parents were, I suddenly realized they had known about Tommy's existence all along.

From the very beginning, I was the only one kept in the dark.

I quietly retreated to the kitchen. At the dining table, his parents kept piling food onto Tommy's plate, completely ignoring my presence.

Ethan seemed to sense something amiss and asked me in a low voice:

"Lily, why aren't you eating?"

I looked up with a smile: "I'm not very hungry."

I watched this harmonious family scene, feeling nothing but irony.

This home I once thought was my haven had long been filled with lies.

Passing by the study, I overheard his mother saying disdainfully to Ethan:

"Look at her, can't even have a child, always playing the victim. If it weren't for the Sullivan family's influence, I would have told you to find a new wife long ago."

She then held Olivia's hand, "Olivia, dear, you're so understanding. Once you have a child, I'll kick that wife out and let you officially enter our family."

Olivia pretended to be shy: "Auntie, as long as Ethan and I can be together, I don't care about status. I believe one day I'll be able to give you a grandchild of your own."

I shook my head with a bitter smile.

So in this family, I had always been an outsider.

After the meal, I excused myself, saying I wasn't feeling well, and returned to the bedroom. Sitting by the window, I watched his parents playing with Tommy in the yard.

The sun was bright, but it couldn't shine into my heart.

My phone vibrated. It was a message from the investigation company I had hired:

"Ms. Sullivan, the investigation results are out. Ethan Lewis and Olivia Parker were indeed college sweethearts. Tommy's birth date matches the information you provided..."

I silently saved the evidence, my heart turning to ashes.

Even though I had already decided to leave, seeing this evidence still made my heart ache unbearably.

It was time to end this nightmare. It was time to wake up from this marriage woven with lies.