The scholarship student I’d been supporting for years crashed my birthday party with the arrogance of a king. He slammed a crumpled ultrasound report onto the table. "Vanessa is pregnant with my child. You better be smart about this, old man. Divorce her. Now." I stared at the paper, completely bewildered. "Are you sure... you’re talking about Vanessa? My wife?" Elias, dressed in a suit that cost more than my first car, smirked and waved the paper in my face. "Of course. We made this baby on a cruise ship last month." His words sent a shockwave through the room. The guests gasped. My fork clattered onto my plate. Because my ex-wife, Vanessa, passed away three years ago. 1 I looked at Elias blankly, trying to process the absurdity. "Do you actually know who Vanessa is?" Elias gripped the ultrasound, his expression full of disdain. "Liam, cut the crap. Just sign the papers and vacate the position of 'Vanessa’s Husband.' Otherwise, you’re just going to embarrass yourself further." The Elias standing before me was unrecognizable. Gone was the scrawny, timid boy I met eight years ago. This version wore a tailored Italian suit, his hair styled perfectly, radiating entitlement. He was a far cry from the kid picking through trash bins to feed his disabled parents. Despite his hostility, I still held a shred of hope for the kid I once knew. "Elias," I said calmly. "Stop joking. It’s my birthday. Have a slice of cake." He swatted the plate away. It crashed to the floor. "I don't want your trash cake! Are you divorcing her or not? If you don't, I have other ways to make you." He jabbed a finger toward my face, nearly poking my eye. My girlfriend, Chloe, immediately pulled me back. Her voice was sharp. "Don't touch him!" The entire banquet hall was staring. As the host, I felt the heat rising in my cheeks. "Elias, if you keep making a scene, I will cut off the funding for you and your family tomorrow." I remembered why I started helping him. I saw a boy with dirt under his nails and cockroaches in his hair, studying while scavenging for recyclables. I promised to put him through college and help his family. Every month, I wired him three thousand dollars. On holidays, I sent more. But this boy, who had lived on my generosity, just sneered at me. "You think I care about your charity?" 2 He leaned in, patting my cheek disrespectfully. "Get it through your head. I got her pregnant." He lifted his leg to show off his limited-edition sneakers, then flashed a diamond watch on his wrist. "Vanessa said once she gives birth to our son, she’s buying me a mansion. She’s moving my whole family in. Your little three-grand allowance? Keep it. Save it for your own funeral plot." He laughed, grabbed a bottle of wine, and smashed it onto my four-tier birthday cake. Cream and sponge flew everywhere. The guests were in an uproar. "You ungrateful brat!" one of my friends shouted. "Liam put you through school, and this is how you repay him? By trying to steal his wife?" "Selling yourself for money... disgusting." Elias rolled his eyes at the accusations. "You all think Liam is some saint?" He looked around the room, acting like a whistleblower. "You’ve all been scammed." "Liam uses Vanessa’s money to build his own reputation! He hasn't spent a dime of his own. He packages himself as a philanthropist to guilt-trip Vanessa so she won't divorce him!" He was getting worked up now, playing the hero. "Vanessa supports him, pays for his charity work, and he won't even give her a child! He is toxic. He is immoral. I am here to liberate her!" The crowd murmured. "Are you insane?" someone yelled. "You're delusional and wrecking a home!" Elias grabbed a bowl and hurled it at the speaker. 3 "I'm not a homewrecker! I'm paying back a debt of gratitude!" Elias screamed. "When I found out Vanessa was the one actually funding me, I repaid her with the only thing I had—my youth and my body!" The room fell silent, shocked by his shamelessness. Before I could explain, Elias locked eyes on Chloe, who was holding my arm. "Oh, look at that. Using Vanessa’s money to keep a mistress?" Chloe frowned. "Show some respect. I am Liam’s girlfriend." Elias laughed. "Girlfriend? Please. Liam is an infertile old man living off his wife. Why would a young, pretty girl want him? You're a sugar baby!" He whipped out his phone, snapping photos of us. "If you don't divorce her voluntarily, I'll blast this affair all over the internet. You'll leave the marriage with nothing, and you'll owe Vanessa millions!" I looked at the wreckage of my party. I realized Elias wasn't just ungrateful; he might be having a psychotic break. The academic pressure must have snapped something in his brain. I didn't get angry. I just patted his shoulder gently. "Elias, listen to me closely." "You are mistaken. I have always been your sponsor. The money came from my personal accounts." I exchanged a look with Chloe. We didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "As for Vanessa... she passed away in an avalanche three years ago. I identified the belongings myself." Elias jumped back as if stung. "You're sick! Spreading rumors that your wife is dead? Do you have no conscience?" I had tried to be patient. But he was ruining my night, and even the calm-tempered Chloe had seen enough. "Get out, or I'm calling security," she warned. Elias sneered at her. "You two are so brazen. Just wait. Tomorrow, the Jiang family will kick you out on the street!" 4 I realized he truly believed his own lies. I actually felt a pang of pity for him. Whoever signed that pregnancy test, it wasn't my late wife. I felt an obligation to wake him up from this delusion. "Since you're so sure," I said, "let's go see Vanessa. Come with me." Elias puffed up his chest. "Fine! When you see her, you'll see how much she loves me!" I asked Chloe to arrange the cars. Two luxury sedans pulled up. Half the guests, sensing high drama, got in their cars to follow us. When we arrived at the destination, I told the driver to let Elias out. He took off his sunglasses, looked around, and started screaming. "A cemetery? You brought me to a cemetery? What is wrong with you?" "Calm down. Follow me." I led him through the rows of headstones until we stopped in front of a marble slab. "Read it. Whose name is that?" Elias glanced at it and laughed loudly. "I admit, you committed to the bit. You even faked a tombstone to avoid a divorce." "But it’s useless, Liam." "You can lie all you want, but she is the mother of my child." He checked his watch, impatient. "If you agree to the divorce now, I'll ask Vanessa to throw you a few thousand as severance. Keep stalling, and you'll regret it." Chloe let out a sharp laugh. She pulled out her phone, turned on the flashlight, and shined it directly on the tombstone's photo. "Elias. Look closely. Is this the woman you spent Valentine's Day with?" Elias squinted at the ceramic photo embedded in the stone. Silence stretched for a few seconds. Then he pointed a shaking finger at me. "Liam... you are ruthless."
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