Chapter 1

Six months into our marriage, my wife suddenly brought home her distant cousin, paralyzed from the waist down, and asked me to quit my job to care for him.

I readily agreed, dedicating myself to looking after Jeremy with all my heart.

Vanessa also gave birth to our son.

A few years later, my wife wanted a second child and pressed me to undergo a vasectomy reversal procedure.

During my follow-up appointment, I overheard Vanessa's conversation with the doctor in a daze.

"Ms. Miller, are you sure about this? Having us secretly sever your husband's vas deferens during the procedure means he'll never be able to have his own children again. Isn't this a bit… extreme?"

Vanessa's voice was utterly devoid of emotion, resolute.

"What else can I do? If he gets me pregnant again after the reversal, whose fault would that be? I promised Jeremy that we'd only have "our" children together."

Turns out, Jeremy wasn't some distant cousin at all. He was Vanessa's lover.

For all these years, I’d been played for a fool.

Since that was the case, there was nothing left for me to cherish.

"Ms. Miller, if you truly don't love him, you could be honest, divorce him, and let him go.

He gave up his career to cater to Jeremy, working like a dog for ten whole years!"

Vanessa's expression was dismissive.

"It's his good fortune from a past life to be able to serve Jeremy.

Besides, for all these years, all he had to do was care for Jeremy at home. He didn't even have to work. What man has it as easy as him?"

"Confess to him? Absolutely not.

Jeremy says he's used to Liam looking after him. I'd worry he wouldn't adapt to a new caregiver. So, divorce? Not a chance."

Vanessa lowered her voice and instructed.

"If Liam notices anything, just tell him it's a complication from the procedure, or maybe side effects of getting older. He won't suspect a thing!"

The doctor sighed and continued, "And the baby you're carrying..."

Vanessa, her eyes full of tenderness, caressed her belly.

"This is the new life Jeremy and I created together. When the time comes, you'll hide the due date. If Liam finds out, you'll all be out of a job!"

Vanessa's words instantly plunged me into hell.

I lay numbly in the hospital room, feeling the air thin, struggling to breathe.

Ten years of marriage, and she only saw me as a useful slave.

Vanessa walked into the room, her face full of concern, and tucked me in.

It was impossible to reconcile her caring demeanor with the chilling words that had just come from her mouth.

"Liam, Noah said he misses you. If you're feeling okay, let's get you discharged as soon as possible!"

In the past, hearing that my son missed me would have filled me with urgency; I would have rushed home to see him.

Even though Noah always liked throwing toys at me, saying I wasn't as good as Jeremy, who could build any model.

I had always unconditionally accepted him.

I opened my eyes and silently watched Vanessa.

This woman I had loved for ten years.

Time had only added to her allure, making it impossible to guess her true age.

But at this moment, that beautiful face felt utterly alien to me.

Ten years ago, I was a poor college student. My mother fell ill, and my first girlfriend immediately broke up with me, seeing me as a liability.

Vanessa came into my life like an angel, paying my mother's exorbitant medical bills and even giving me an internship at Miller Group.

One night, after too much to drink, Vanessa and I ended up in bed together.

I knew I wasn't good enough for her, yet she married me without a second thought.

After we married, Vanessa gave birth to Noah.

I was completely immersed in happiness.

She told me that these few years, her career had to be the priority, and she couldn't risk another accidental pregnancy.

I considerately told her.

"We have Noah. One child is enough for us."

Vanessa had a weak constitution and suffered a lot during childbirth. How could I bear for her to go through that again for me?

So I willingly underwent a vasectomy.

But I overlooked the strange look in her eyes then.

It wasn't gratitude; it was guilt.

She was afraid I'd discover that Noah wasn't my son at all.

But the child of her fake cousin, her true lover.

Everything unreasonable now had an explanation.

I wondered why, despite taking precautions, Vanessa still got pregnant.

I thought it was my oversight that caused Vanessa to suffer.

Back when she had a difficult labor, I was outside the delivery room, weeping uncontrollably, slapping myself, blaming myself.

After that, I was being cuckolded, serving their family tirelessly like a free caregiver.

My perceived sacrifices now felt like a brutal slap across my face.