Chapter 2

“I only went abroad to study further so I could help you overcome those technical challenges, but who knew that good-for-nothing parasite would prey on your vulnerability?”

“You were just using him for a bit of fun. Who would have thought he’d drug you and take advantage, even making you have his child? He’s absolutely shameless. You should punish him severely, teach him a lesson.”

I finally saw the man’s face. It was Blake, Seraphina’s first love.

He had actually cheated on her, ran off to another country with some other woman, and had a kid with her. He barely passed his classes in college; what did he know about tech?

Yet Seraphina believed every word he said.

Seraphina had been the campus queen back in our college days; countless guys secretly adored her. But after Blake left, she only ever smiled at me.

Once we were together, I became the envy of every male student.

I loved her, and I never pushed her, never crossed a single boundary.

The turning point was our graduation night. When she came back from the party, she was… different. Unusually forward with me. We spent a wonderful night together.

She even defied her wealthy family, choosing to be with a simple guy like me.

And after giving birth to Leo, she became paralyzed and bedridden.

The campus queen, once so vibrant, had fallen so far.

She was tormented by pain day and night, constantly needing someone by her side.

To better care for her, I quit my grueling tech job with its insane hours and started taking on all sorts of odd jobs.

Besides unclogging drains, I’d make cardboard crafts, move heavy boxes, fix appliances…

To pay for her treatments, I even sold the house my parents had painstakingly saved for their entire lives, the one meant for *my* wedding. Our family of three was crammed into a tiny 20-square-meter rental apartment.

My hands, once accustomed only to tapping a keyboard, were now grimy and calloused every single day.

Everyone lamented the tragic downfall of a coding prodigy, but I just thought that as long as she was by my side, that was enough.

I never imagined that all my sacrifices would only earn me the label of “useless.”

And even my son was looked down upon.

I pulled out my phone, opened my long-forgotten email, and accepted the job offer from Jocelyn Tech, the rival company to Seraphina’s family business.

The phone rang almost immediately.

“Your early retirement was a great loss to the entire industry, Mr. Dean. We are deeply honored by your decision to join us.”

“Our company headquarters are located overseas. In two days, Ms. Jocelyn herself will fly back to pick you and your son up.”