Chapter 3

On the day Ethan was discharged from the hospital, Julian actually showed up early to pick him up.

He had hired a professional cleaning company to renovate our largest spare room into a beautiful bedroom with custom bookshelves.

Julian joyfully took the boy's hand and asked softly, "Ethan, didn't you love reading most when you were at the orphanage? From now on, you can read any book in this house. No one will ever restrict you again!"

Ethan sat at the desk, quietly flipping through a book. His gaze was incredibly focused and deep. The warm sunlight poured over him, making it look as though time itself had stopped.

Whenever Julian looked at him, his gaze would turn hazy—as if he were looking at the boy, but also looking through him at someone else.

I walked past the doorway quietly, the plan in my mind already fully formed.

Because Ethan had congenital heart disease, I spared no expense when choosing his school.

I enrolled him in the most prestigious and expensive international private academy in the city.

By hosting countless dinners for his classmates and their parents, begging them to take good care of Ethan, everyone quickly found out that Ethan was adopted.

They were all deeply shocked.

His teachers were too.

Especially later on, when Ethan repeatedly won biology competitions and declared his dream was to become a medical specialist.

Many people politely advised me not to invest too much of my heart and wealth into him. They warned me that once he grew up and became successful, his biological parents would inevitably show up, and he would fly away like a bird, never to return.

By then, I had already built a perfect immunity to the opinions of the outside world.

I didn't care in the slightest.

I put all my effort into nurturing his interests, hiring top tutors to teach him advanced medical knowledge ahead of his peers.

Ethan was highly determined. He buried himself in his studies and never complained of exhaustion.

Even Julian, who was usually incredibly stingy, surprisingly bought me a diamond-encrusted watch as a reward.

He said, "Valerie, you’re so good to Ethan. You treat him exactly like your own biological son."

I replied with a question, "He is our son. Why would I treat him any differently?"

Julian laughed awkwardly and quickly agreed.

I smiled silently.

Julian believed he was the master puppeteer pulling all the strings. Little did he know, he had already walked right into my trap and become a mere pawn on my chessboard.

Time flew by like a river.

Soon after graduating, Ethan joined the most prestigious cardiovascular hospital in the country.

The story of a heart-disease orphan being raised by his adoptive mother to become a brilliant cardiologist soon went viral on local media.

Patients whose lives Ethan had saved even came forward, sending thank-you cards and flowers to the hospital, publicly praising him as an angel in a white coat.

Julian looked incredibly proud standing by his side.

Some people who knew I was Ethan’s mother came to thank me, asking how I had the brilliant foresight to adopt such a prodigy.

I smiled and pointed them toward my husband.

I said, "If Julian hadn't gone out of town for charity work all those years ago and happened to find Ethan in that orphanage, none of this would have happened."

In an instant, the crowd surrounded Julian.

Someone asked, "Mr. Vance, you used to only donate money and supplies. Did you go to the orphanage that day specifically to adopt Ethan?"

"There were so many healthy children there. Why did you choose a boy with a severe heart condition?"

"Did you look up his family background beforehand and realize he had great genes, which is why you brought him home right away?"

The questions poured in, and Julian gradually found himself unable to handle them.

After all, Ethan had barely spent any time in that orphanage before Julian "happened" to adopt him. The timeline couldn't withstand any real scrutiny.

Julian politely excused himself, claiming he had urgent business to attend to.

Watching the flash of panic in his eyes, I felt an overwhelming rush of satisfaction.

Just a few simple questions almost made him slip up. If the full truth were revealed, he would probably drop dead of shock.

Within two years, Ethan successfully became a medical mentor and chief researcher.

To celebrate his promotion, Julian hosted a massive banquet, inviting every relative, friend, and business partner we knew.

Everyone who came to raise a glass envied him for having such an incredible son. They marvelled at how he had managed to pick a medical genius out of a random orphanage.

The flattery was endless.

Julian was so thrilled that he downed glass after glass, eventually drinking straight from the bottle with his friends.

When we got home, he collapsed onto the bed and began muttering drunkenly, "My son is so brilliant... He’s the best!"

In the dim light of his phone screen, I saw an incredibly explicit message he had just sent to a contact: “Sweetheart, you are the greatest hero of my life!”

The corners of my mouth curled into a cold, contemptuous smile.

Sometime later, Ethan was awarded the prestigious Title of Outstanding Medical Contributor for pioneering new techniques in cardiovascular intervention.

Julian booked an entire luxury hotel hall in advance, planning a massive celebration for Ethan.

The night before, he pulled out a thick envelope and said to me mysteriously, "Valerie, at the banquet tomorrow, our family is going to give you a grand reward!"

Our family?

It seemed they finally couldn't hold it in anymore.

I smiled meaningfully. "What a coincidence. I also have a reward prepared for your family. I promise it’s something none of you will ever forget."