1 When I learned again that the child my wife carried was conceived with her new lover, I didn’t rage or push for an abortion as before. Instead, I silently supported her pregnancy, ensuring she carried it to term. Soon, I became gossip fodder for the elite circles—every cheating socialite wanted a spouse as “magnanimous” as me, mistresses hoped to ensnare my wife, and rich househusbands called me a disgrace. Ten months later, she gave birth safely. Emerging from the delivery room, Catherine, ever gentle, kissed my hand. “Thanks to you, my child with Liam is healthy and beautiful. Don’t worry—he only wants to be a father, not threaten your place as Davies’ son‑in‑law. You’re still the one I love most.” People said I loved her so blindly I accepted the mistress, but only I knew—this was a child the Davies matriarch forced me to protect, using an old life‑saving debt. With their firstborn now born, the divorce agreement she promised should finally take effect. … The night before Catherine’s delivery, I was given a sufficient dose of tranquilizers and bone-weakening agents to prevent me from harming her or the child. When the medication wore off, I opened my eyes to see her embracing the baby with unbridled joy. “Darling, Grandma has already named our child. Just sign here, and we can register him.” She handed me the birth certificate. Seeing the name “Michael Davies” on it, my foggy mind instantly cleared. Michael. That was the beautiful wish I had for my unborn biological son. It was our hope for our love. It was also the name of the thirteenth generation’s firstborn son in the Davies family tree. Years ago, to save Catherine from kidnappers, I took a knife wound for her, damaging my reproductive function. That part of my life became difficult. Our first IVF child, a boy, was seven months along when Catherine, in an act of misguided compassion, helped a drugged Liam. After a night with him, she suffered a massive hemorrhage, leading to a forced abortion. That was a fully formed boy. I had prepared to give him a symbolic burial, to bring him into our ancestral graveyard. But the fortune teller said the child didn't count as a full-term stillbirth, the timing was bad, and we had to wait. That wait stretched for over a year. During her pregnancy, she whispered to me countless times that she wanted to give the name “Michael Davies” to this illegitimate child. I always refused. But now, looking at her expectant eyes, I only found her past tears and apologies disgusting. I knew Grandma couldn't have chosen this name. It was merely Liam, who liked to snatch everything from me, whispering ideas into Catherine’s ear. Anyway, divorce was a certainty. A heartless mother’s surname was not worth having. “Whatever. Call him what you like.” “I only have one request: don’t put my name down as the father. My biological son in heaven would be displeased.” Catherine paused, guilt flickering in her eyes. “Noah, don’t worry, I’m only using him because of his shared bloodline with you. Liam and I…” She didn’t finish speaking when a sudden crash came from outside the door. “You beast, who allowed you to show your face here!” Liam was knocked to the ground, his eyes red. “I just wanted to see the child.” Grandma Davies relentlessly struck him with her cane. “Get out!” In that instant, Catherine was like a startled bird. Disregarding her post-delivery body, she carelessly tossed the baby onto me and rushed out. The hundred-plus needle marks and self-inflicted wounds on my arms, each as thick as a child’s arm, were pressed open. But she left as if she hadn’t even noticed. Her unwavering movement, shielding Liam from the old lady’s cane, made her earlier comforting words seem incredibly ridiculous. “Grandma! It was my idea! I did it for the Davies family! Don’t hurt an innocent person!” Grandma Davies froze, unconsciously looking at me. Seeing the white bandage on my arm soaked with blood, she was angry at her own helplessness. “You wicked child! He was given hundreds of injections just yesterday! Can’t you see all his wounds?” Catherine’s eyes widened with panic and regret. She was about to rush over to me. But Liam suddenly collapsed behind her. She panicked, disregarding my injuries, and helped him up, intending to leave. Grandma Davies fiercely blocked her path. “You’re not leaving! You’re so reckless right after giving birth!” “Your husband is still inside! Do you even want this family anymore!” 2 Catherine’s eyes were filled with hesitation. “Yes! But Liam is hurt from your beating! I can’t just abandon him! Noah… he has you, he’ll be fine!” Once upon a time, she had been just as reckless for me. Once upon a time, she would never have made me the choice to be cast aside. I cast her an indifferent glance. “Grandma, let her go.” She seemed surprised by my magnanimity. After all, in the past, to keep her from leaving, I had thrown tantrums, rolled on the floor, self-harmed, and shed all my masculine dignity. Her expression was complex. She wanted to say something, but ultimately, she left. A nurse helped me re-dress my wounds. The baby was sleeping soundly. My phone suddenly showed a message from her. [I’m sorry. I just didn’t want a scene at the hospital. It would affect the Davies family’s reputation.] [Liam is unconscious and can’t be left alone. I won’t come over for now. I’ll recover with him. Don’t worry.] I stared at the screen, stunned for a long time. I remembered once, when I heard she was injured on a business trip, I took an eleven-hour flight, accompanied her to her check-ups, and stayed by her side every minute. Back then, she was overwhelmingly touched, swearing she would never let me down in this life. Seeing me sigh, Grandma Davies snatched my phone away. She read the cold words on the screen and snorted. “That ungrateful girl! I’ll deal with her when she gets back. Noah, don’t worry, Grandma…” At this, I suddenly laughed, my gaze calm as I looked at her. “You tacitly allowed all of this, didn’t you?” “I no longer care what happens to her. You promised me earlier that you would help me divorce once this child was safely born. I hope you keep your word.” Her expression froze, her eyes filled with deep guilt. “Grandma is sorry.” “I’ve already tricked her into signing the divorce agreement. You rest up well. We’ll leave after she finishes her confinement.” Grandma took the baby with her, arranging for someone to care for him. I, in turn, discreetly returned to my pre-marital residence, avoiding gossip. But that very night, rumors spread throughout the business world about the Davies heiress’s rage for her lover, defying her powerful family to protect her uncle, despite her postpartum state. Davies Group stock continued to fall, leaving Catherine overwhelmed. Liam’s influencer account was swarmed by netizens. The incident where I had personally exposed him for seducing his sister-in-law, which Catherine had suppressed, resurfaced. The platform was full of condemnation. If not for Catherine’s help, his account would likely have been shut down with heavy penalties. The next time I saw her was seven days later. The first thing she did was look at me with disappointment. “Noah Harding, are you happy, seeking revenge on us like this?” I paused, then quickly realized she was blaming me for the spread of the gossip. Of course. After all, I used to work in media. My specialty was fanning the flames. Unfortunately, the first time I went crazy and exposed her affair with Liam, she threatened my company with privacy violations and defamation, forcing them to fire me. Now, it truly wouldn’t be easy to find someone to help. I gave her a sidelong glance, long past the feeling of being wronged when misunderstood. I picked up the anniversary memorial gift for Michael. “You should know, your scandals aren’t just the obvious ones. If I wanted to expose more, you’d probably have to bleed even more.” She stood by the door, stunned for a long time. Almost helplessly, she spoke. “After this, I’ll break up with him. But promise me, can we live a good life together from now on? With a child, we could be a happy family.” She had said things like that almost every day during her pregnancy. Yet it didn’t stop her from continuing to be entangled with Liam. Either she felt sorry for him being an illegitimate child, or she thought he was lonely without family to rely on. In short, there were a thousand reasons for their passionate involvement and her helping him rise to prominence. She stood by the door, refusing to leave, as if I wouldn’t move until I answered. Looking at the sunlight she blocked, I perfunctorily agreed. It wasn't until the next morning, when unblurred videos of my alleged infidelity went viral, that I understood what she meant by “after this.” Catherine released a clarification video. In the video, she tearfully told the media that I had been caught cheating during her pregnancy by my younger brother and had then falsely spread rumors about her as revenge. 3 Liam, in turn, sorrowfully claimed that he had merely advised me not to hurt Catherine's feelings, but I, believing he would expose my affair, sought revenge. Everyone urged Catherine to divorce me, this upstart. Yet, she maintained an image of deep affection. “No matter what mistakes Noah makes in this life, I cannot stop loving him.” Watching her hypocritical act, I couldn’t help but vomit. Hearing this, Catherine, who was outside the door, rushed in. “What’s wrong?” I frowned, looking at Liam, who had followed her in, and shook off her hand. “Nothing, just disgusted with you. To protect your mistress’s crimes, you’ll slander your husband’s reputation at any cost. Catherine Davies, your love is truly magnificent.” Her face turned ashen. She opened her mouth, wanting to explain. But Liam suddenly knelt down. “I’m sorry, brother, it’s all my fault! Sister-in-law only used you as a shield for me. But she’s still in confinement, afraid you’d be angry, she came to explain to you despite her condition. Don’t be angry with her.” Catherine looked at him with tenderness, her gaze chastising me. “I came here to tell you about this. Those videos were all AI-generated by me. Ultimately, he’s your brother. It’s only right for you to sacrifice yourself to help him. My helping him is helping you maintain your family ties. Why must you be so aggressive towards him?” “Moreover, you’re unemployed. Reputation means nothing to you. What outsiders say won’t affect my feelings for you. It’s enough that I know it’s fake. But he’s different. He has no one to rely on, and he depends on the media for his livelihood. If his image and reputation are ruined, everything is over for him.” Listening to her sanctimonious justifications, I only felt nauseous. Unemployed, was that not also thanks to her? She not only forced my company to fire me but also warned the entire media industry that anyone who hired me would be going against her. My job interviews constantly hit dead ends. I finally found a private studio, but she maliciously reported us. Ultimately, all my media professional licenses were revoked, and I became a disgrace to the industry, hated by all. I couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. All in all, in about half a month, I would be completely free. Grandma also promised me that she would clear my name then. Their opinions no longer mattered. I looked at her with an expressionless face, let out a long breath, and turned over to lie on the bed. “Do whatever you want. It’s up to you.” She thought I was going to try and hit Liam like before, so she tensed up, fiercely shielding him. But seeing me turn my back and lie down, all her emotions came to an abrupt halt. After a long moment, she asked me, her voice filled with disbelief. “You… you’re not angry?” My voice was flat. “Haven’t you always wanted me to get along with him?” She let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “You’ve finally learned your lesson. I knew you weren’t that heartless. I’ll definitely make it up to you later.” I didn’t respond. I didn’t even look at her until they left. After a long time, I touched my chest, which felt completely still. So this was what letting go felt like. In the following days, she seemed to feel guilty, sending me gifts every now and then. She wasn’t discouraged when met with resistance, only endlessly recounting our beautiful future life together. It wasn't until she brought up the child’s full moon celebration that she hesitantly spoke. “Liam will never be able to acknowledge his biological child in this life, so I want him to openly attend the child’s full moon celebration as the father while the child is still too young to understand.” “It would complete his regret, don’t you think?” My hands didn’t stop their work; I didn’t even glance up. “I told you, it’s up to you. This isn’t my child to begin with. Whatever you want to do has nothing to do with me.” She stiffened, her eyes welling up with redness and a hint of anger. She snatched the memorial items for Michael from my hand. “Why have you been like this all these days? Do you know what his attendance represents? It represents tacitly acknowledging him as a son-in-law of the Davies family. You used to never agree to that.” I paused, then glanced at her indifferently. “Isn’t this better? Last month, when you were ‘helping’ him with his needs, didn’t you also say it was a pity he couldn’t have a proper status in this life?” Watching her, ashen-faced and frozen like a statue, I retrieved the items. My emotions were so stable it was as if nothing had happened. Her endless explanations, attempting to claim she didn’t love him, but only had physical intimacy and felt responsible for him—disgusting rhetoric—were defeated by my silence.
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