Chapter 1

After my wife, Erina Winters, returns to the family following her affair, everyone in my family becomes her surveillance team.

When she takes the trash out, Dad tails after her and films a video for me.

"She behaved herself and didn't even glance at her phone."

When she goes to her law firm for work, Mom disguises herself as a janitor to infiltrate the building.

"Not a single man came within a five-mile radius."

When she returns to the country after an overseas case, my long-time best friend, Jeffrey Conley, scans her entire body with a device.

"No marks and no hickeys anywhere. Everything looks normal."

Everyone assures me that Erina's heart is truly back with me now. She will even cuddle up with me every night, swearing that she will only love me and our future child from then on.

Then, she announces that she's going away on a long business trip, so I go for my medical checkup alone.

While passing the obstetrics department, I unexpectedly stumble upon her sitting on a delivery bed, with a man cradling a newborn baby next to her, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. Mom, Dad, and Jeffrey are gathered around the bed too, beaming widely.

I recognize the man instantly. It is Dustin Nielson, the man whom Erina once cheated on me with.

The moment everyone sees me, they immediately go on high alert. They instinctively shield the baby from me and glare at me with wary eyes.

However, I simply walk up calmly to them and tuck a loose strand of Erina's hair behind her ear.

"The baby is adorable… It looks exactly like you.

"I'll leave you to it. I need to go back and do the laundry."

Chapter 1

My wife, Erina Winters, froze in place at once. A look of panic flashed in her eyes as she said, "S-Sebs… I can explain…"

"Do these clothes need washing?" I asked, interrupting her while pointing at the pile of shirts and pants heaped on the side.

Erina's face went deathly pale. She hurriedly grabbed my hand and said, "Don't be like that, Sebastian. Just let me explain."

I looked at her with a faint smile playing on my lips. "Explain what? Isn't it good that I'm getting out of your hair now?"

She shook her head and spoke in a cautious, tentative voice, "Aren't you mad?"

I knew why she was suspicious of me.

Six months ago, when I caught her cheating on me with Dustin Nielson, I had gone completely mad and printed out thousands of copies of their photos in bed, pasting them all over the company's main entrance.

When she asked me for a divorce, I even stabbed her three times before climbing onto the rooftop.

That day, my parents and my best friend, Jeffrey Conley, dragged a blood-soaked Erina over to me and forced her down on her knees before me, holding up a pregnancy test report.

"Sebs, I'm pregnant! Please, just for the sake of the baby, forgive me this one time!"

Back then, everyone thought that I was a lunatic. But now, I simply remained silent as I pried her fingers off me one by one.

"Because there's no need for that," I replied.

As I spoke, the baby in Dustin's arms suddenly began making a fuss, and its shrill crying pierced into my head.

And then, Jeffrey, who had just been drinking with me last night and promising to be the unofficial "fun uncle" for my future baby, rushed up to me and shoved me aside.

"Stop arguing and scaring the baby like this! Don't you dare behave like a madman before the baby!

"Did you know that Dustin even suggested that the child take on your last name instead of his, just to make you feel better? Do you even have any idea how much he sacrificed himself for you?"

Even Mom and Dad, who used to feel sorry for me over Erina's cheating last time, stepped in to shield Dustin.

"Sebastian, Dustin is the biological father of this baby, after all. You shouldn't be so stubborn about this issue and just let the baby take on Dustin's last name."

I fought back the agonizing cramping in my stomach as I was forced out by the people whom I once thought were the closest to me. I slammed back against the doorframe, the pain making me break out in cold sweat all over.

I took a moment to steady myself. Then, I said, "That's all your business. I don't care."

I turned to leave, but right at that moment, Dustin suddenly fell to his knees and wailed tearfully, "Sebastian! Please don't get mad at them because of me! It's all my fault!

"It's just that my parents forced me to go back to the mountains to get married, and everyone here was just trying to help me out by suggesting I had a child with Erina to pretend we were already married so I didn't have to go back!

"You were the one who brought me out of the mountains and funded my education all the way, and I would never dare to forget your kindness toward me! I would never try to steal your wife away from you!"

His voice was choked with emotion, but a hidden glint of amusement and malicious glee appeared in his eyes.

I felt horribly disgusted. A wave of nausea surged up, intensifying my stomach cramp, and I instinctively shook off his hand.

"Dustin!"

"Sebastian Mercer! Why the hell did you shove him like that? Did you know that Dustin never slept a wink taking care of Erina all night long? He even caught a chill and has a headache!" Jeffrey yelled at me, his eyes reddened as he punched me in the face.

My face instantly went numb with pain.

I clutched my stomach in agony and instinctively tried to argue back, but Mom and Dad shoved me out of the door instead.

"Go home and stop making a scene here!"

Then, the door slammed in my face.

I heard the people inside murmuring softly as they attempted to calm Dustin down, but I was completely shut out.

As I left the hospital in a daze, a thunderclap cracked overhead, and the rain began to pour. The cold wind sweeping in from the hallway made me shiver.

Erina chased out after me, wrapped in a blanket and holding an umbrella over my head.

"Here, Sebs. It's raining outside. Take this umbrella with you."

I stopped walking, and she let out a sigh of relief. She said, "The doctor said that Dustin had some health issues, and this might be the only child he'll ever have in his life. I just couldn't bear to watch him dejected like that.

"But I swear that you're still the only person I love! Once the baby is a month old, I'll send it and Dustin away to South City and never let them appear before you ever again."

I looked at her. "I only have one question for you. You knew from the very start that this baby belonged to Dustin, didn't you?

"So, you lied to me all this time. Is that true?"

Erina bit her lips and avoided my eyes.

"Sebs…"

I nodded and took off my ring, throwing it at her feet.

"Go ahead and put it on his finger, then. We'll divorce the moment you're discharged from the hospital."

Chapter 2

Erina wanted to chase after me, but Jeffrey called out from behind her just then.

"Erina, come back! The baby's crying!"

Ultimately, she abandoned me in the rain—along with the umbrella.

"I won't divorce you. But you can go back on your own for now," she said before leaving me.

I opened the umbrella and saw that there was a hole in it, reminding me of the broken relationship between her and me.

The rain trickled in through the gap. It wasn't enough to drench me, but it was enough to leave me completely disheartened.

After getting into my Uber, I came across an older video on Dustin's social media account. He was telling the world about his baby.

"My precious baby girl is born! My wife decided to name her Ruby Nielson. How cute!"

Ruby was the name that I had once chosen for the child that we'd lost.

Back then, Erina had only just founded her company not too long ago, and she aborted our seven-month-old baby for the sake of her career.

I had wept and begged her all night to change her mind, even offering every penny of my savings in exchange for the baby's life, but I still wasn't able to stop her.

And now, she had handed that very name over to someone else's baby. She'd completely forgotten my pain and the death of her own child in her belly.

I scrolled down with trembling hands, and soon, the truth began to surface.

The day I was struck by a car and broke my leg, Erina and Dustin had sent me hundreds of concerned text messages asking me about my condition, but in reality, they were partying on a cruise ship all night long.

The day I was rushed to the ER because of my gastritis issues, Erina had called a deliveryman to bring me some soup, but in reality, she was with Dustin on a seven-day excursion to Yeropah to see the aurora borealis.

On my birthday, Erina told me that she was working overtime at the company and didn't have time to come home and celebrate with me, but in reality, she was out camping with Dustin to see the starry night sky in the woods.

There were hundreds of posts and reels about everything they did, and I watched them over and over again like some form of self-torture until I became so numb I couldn't even shed a single tear anymore.

I had harbored doubts about Erina in the past, but I still clung to a shred of wishful thinking, hoping that I was wrong.

But now, with all the facts spelled out for me, I had to admit that they had pulled wool over my eyes and played me like a fool from the very beginning.

I went home to Mom and Dad's place, intending to retrieve my important documents, but when I opened the door, I was met with a completely unfamiliar interior inside my own room.

All of my belongings had been cleared out, and what greeted me was a brand-new room setup instead.

I reached out to touch the computer on my desk, but a sharp voice immediately rang out from behind me, "Don't touch that!"

Mom and Dad stood in the entryway with bags of groceries in their hand, looking at me with reproach.

"Dustin doesn't like it when other people touch his stuff."

I turned to look at them. "Then, what about my things?"

"They're in the storeroom."

"But this is my room."

Mom glared at me and walked into the kitchen. "Dustin is my foster son. Don't tell me you're going to fight him over that as well."

I was shoved to the side of the doorframe. My clothes were still wet from the rain, and the fabric all clung to my skin. But neither Mom nor Dad bothered asking me if I was fine.

My nose began tingling, and my eyes stung with tears. "What about me? Am I not your son anymore?"

Mom didn't even bother looking up. "Why are you comparing yourself to Dustin? He's kind and filial and thoughtful, and he's like a ray of sunshine by our side. Just looking at him makes us happy.

"Unlike you, always walking around with that scowl on your face like the world owes you something."

She sighed and continued, "If you never stood in the way, Erina and Dustin would have been together ages ago. They were in love all along, but they had to hide it away so painfully for your sake. Can't you just be a little more considerate of them?"

My own mother was telling me to be more considerate of my wife and the man she was having an affair with. I couldn't believe it.

Still, I gave her a wry smile and nodded.

"In that case, he can very well take my place officially as your son from now on."

Dad glanced over impatiently and said, "What is it now? What kind of scene are you making? Where do you think you're going?"

I replied, "I'm going to Seafare City for work. I won't be coming back."

As I said this, I took out my phone to check the job offer, but instead, I saw an email stating that I had failed the assessment for the hospital I'd applied to in Seafare City.

"We received a report that you are suspected of falsifying your résumé, and you also have a record of multiple violations involving corruption and bribery.

"Consequently, you have failed the assessment and are permanently barred from employment."

Chapter 3

I hurriedly called the hospital dean, Dr. Henry Pratt, to ask what was going on.

His voice was icy and steely on the other end of the line. "I used to think quite highly of you, Mr. Mercer, but I never imagined that you would actually fake your research paper.

"If Ms. Winters never sent in evidence of your misconduct to report you, we would have all been completely deceived by you."

It was Erina.

Anger surged to my head at once. I ignored my parents' attempts to stop me and rushed to the hospital immediately.

Erina was leaning against Dustin as she was soothed to sleep. I flung the door open violently, causing the baby in the crib to start wailing.

"Erina Winters! What right do you have to report me to the hospital?" I roared. "You knew that my dream was always to be a doctor! And you knew exactly how much effort I put into this!"

Erina hurriedly held the wailing baby in her arms and glared at me in displeasure.

"There's only one opening at Seafare Hospital this year, and Dustin wants it too. It's the perfect way to boost his credentials."

My anger and accusations meant nothing to her, apparently. She didn't care about me and just thought of them as a passing breeze not even worth mentioning.

I was so mad that I couldn't even breathe properly anymore. I gripped her sleeve tightly and growled, "You are coming with me to that hospital right now to clear things up. If not, I will sue you for defamation!"

"Go ahead and try," she replied nonchalantly, a faint, calm smile playing on her lips. "I guarantee you that nobody in all of Cantonia would ever dare to take your case.

"It's not like we're short on money anyway, so you don't really need to work. You just have to stay home and help me look after the baby like a good househusband."

I stared at her in complete shock. My lips trembled uncontrollably.

"I will hate you for this…"

Erina met my pained gaze and softened her expression. She reached out to take my hand. But suddenly, Dustin approached us and said softly, "Here, Erina, let me talk some sense into Sebastian."

He then wrapped his arm around my shoulders and dug his nails painfully into my flesh, whispering in my ear, "Listen here, Sebastian. Your parents, your best pal, your wife, and even your job—they all belong to me now.

"Did you think it was an accident when your patient reported you and got you fired from your last hospital? Erina was the one who orchestrated it all—she was just afraid you'd run into us while I was accompanying her to her prenatal checkups.

"Just accept your fate. You'll never beat me in this lifetime."

"Shut up!" I yelled at him, my eyes bloodshot as I raised my hand to strike him. However, someone suddenly grabbed my wrist and twisted it.

Erina glared at me with a warning look in her eyes. "You dare to lay a finger on him?"

She immediately shielded Dustin behind her and turned to me with a steely look in her eyes.

"Get out."

I tilted my chin and sneered. "I will show you today that there is nothing that I, Sebastian Mercer, will ever stop at."

I went back home, dug out my laptop, and compiled the evidence of Erina's affair with Dustin, including photos of them in bed, and put them into a 128-page PowerPoint presentation.

Then, I posted the whole thing in the comments section of his social media account.

The news exploded instantly and went viral online. Media outlets even messaged me privately, asking me if I was willing to speak to them for exclusive interviews.

But before I could reply to a single one of them, Erina came rushing to me. She then slapped me across the face with reddened eyes.

"Are you trying to ruin Dustin, Sebastian? The hospital is swarming with reporters right now! You're coming with me right this instant to clear the air and apologize!"

"Why should I be the one apologizing?" I demanded.

She gripped my shirt tightly, her face twisted into an ugly scowl. "If you don't come with me now, I swear that I will make you rot away in prison for the rest of your life."

I stared at her in disbelief, a sharp, stabbing pain searing in my heart. I couldn't believe that Erina was actually threatening me and my future like this for someone like Dustin.

I gritted my teeth as the taste of blood filled my mouth.

"Fine. I'll go."

Back at the hospital, a crowd of reporters had gathered at the door, and camera flashes were going off incessantly. Dustin stood in the middle of the crowd, shielded by Erina.

I sneered as I took the microphones from the reporters and said, making sure to enunciate every word clearly, "What makes you think I'd let an ungrateful wench off the hook?

"The rumors are all true! Dustin Nielson is a homewrecker. I was the one who brought him out of the mountains and paid for his education, yet he climbed into my wife's bed and even fathered an illegitimate child with her as a thank-you!"

The room erupted in an uproar.

Dustin's eyes turned red at once. "I've been putting up with you constantly pestering my wife, Sebastian, and I even did nothing when you drugged her and climbed into her bed instead. What more do you still want from me?"

With that, he pulled out a marriage certificate from his jacket that clearly displayed Erina's and his names on the document.

"I am the one who's Erina's lawfully wedded husband!"

Chapter 4

I looked up blankly, only to catch a glimpse of evasiveness in Erina's eyes.

Jeffrey then stepped in front of Dustin and glared at me. "Get this straight, Sebastian Mercer. You are the homewrecker who ruined their relationship instead of it being the other way around!"

Mom produced a psychiatric evaluation report and apologized to the reporters. She said, "I'm so sorry. My son is suffering from a mental illness, and he's been pestering Erina for ages, even drugging her and trying to sleep with her, causing a lot of trouble for Dustin. I'm here to apologize on his behalf."

I stared at Mom in complete disbelief. My emotions were so intense that my hands and feet went completely numb.

"Mom? Have you lost your mind? He is the one who—"

At that moment, Erina returned with a group of people in white lab coats. They took the psychiatric report from Mom, and before I could even defend myself, they stuck a needle into my neck and injected a sedative into my bloodstream.

As my vision faded, the last thing I saw was Erina and Dustin interlacing their fingers before leaning closer to each other without even sparing me a single glance.

…

They took my phone away and locked me up in a room that was smaller than 100 square feet for a whole month. I struggled and fought back, even nearly breaking my leg trying to escape, but I failed each time.

Just as I was on the verge of losing my grip on reality, Erina finally appeared before me. She even brought me my favorite scones and gently smoothed down my disheveled hair.

"You've had a rough time lately. We were just afraid that you would run out and hurt Dustin.

"We only got that marriage certificate so the baby wouldn't be labelled an illegitimate child the moment she was born. Once you're in a better state of mind, I'll divorce him right away.

"You just have to admit that you were the homewrecker and grovel at Dustin's feet for his forgiveness, and we'll let you out."

I dropped to my knees and begged without a moment's hesitation, "I'm sorry. I'm the homewrecker. I won't bother the two of you ever again.

"Will that do?"

Erina's face darkened. Her lips trembled as she clenched her fists tightly by her side. But ultimately, she sighed and brought me back home.

I packed my bags as quickly as I could, intent on leaving them. But just as I stepped out of the bedroom, a group of people barged in.

Dustin looked frantic as he dropped to his knees before me, begging, "Please, Sebastian, I'm begging you! Just give the baby back to me!

"I was so busy preparing for Ruby's month-old celebration, but she vanished the moment you showed up at home! You should have just taken it out on me if you hated me! Why did you have to go and touch my baby? She's innocent!"

Erina came up right behind them and slapped me hard across the face.

"Ruby's only one month old! Have you lost your mind? How could you even go after a baby?"

My breath caught in my throat, but I forced myself to speak. "I didn't do it. I never even saw her! I've been a father myself. How could I possibly—"

"Erina! I don't want to live anymore if the baby's gone!" Dustin suddenly cut in, making it look as though he was about to jump out of the second-floor window, but Mom and Dad hurriedly held him back.

"What's the point of wasting time talking to that jerk? Apprehend him now!" Jeffrey yelled as he stepped into the room with a pair of pliers in his hand. Then, he grabbed my hand and singled out my fingers.

"No! I really didn't do it!" I screeched, shaking my head in terror and looking at Erina pleadingly.

However, she simply turned her face away, unable to bear the sight, and signaled for them to proceed.

They knew that these hands that were used to perform surgeries were my weak spot, and I treasured them both above all else. They knew exactly how to force the truth out of me, but how was I supposed to confess to something that I hadn't done?

"You're the one who forced me to do this, Sebastian!"

Jeffrey clamped the pliers on my fingertips and pulled hard, nearly wrenching my fingernail right off. An excruciating pain pierced through my hands, making my face contort in sheer pain and horror.

I was in too much agony to even scream. Involuntary tears gushed to my eyes and fell down my cheeks.

Just as Jeffrey was about to yank the fingernail off the second finger, the police called and said, "Hello, your baby has been found. Kindly come to the police station immediately."

Erina's face was delighted. She shoved me to the ground and followed the entire crowd out of the door.

I crashed heavily onto the floor and threw up a mouthful of blood. I then dragged myself to the door, only to find it locked tight.

My stomach began to churn with violent, wrenching cramps as I stared blankly at the blood that had dripped down my chin and puddled on the floor. Then, I reached for the penknife on the nightstand, pulled out the sharp blade, and pressed it hard against my wrist.

Suddenly, the door was kicked wide open, and a familiar figure burst in.

The person was silhouetted against the light. It was a woman. She pulled me into her embrace, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, Sebs… I came too late…"