Chapter 1

To celebrate the birth of our baby, my husband didn't just take his paternity leave—he used up his annual leave too.

When we got home from the hospital, I saw that my in-laws had come as well, and I said to my husband, playfully coy:

"Your parents really do have a sharp tongue but a soft heart. They swore they'd rather die than help us with the baby, and here they both are, come to look after me during my postpartum recovery."

Right after I said it, my daughter peed all over me.

I naturally handed my daughter to my mother-in-law and got ready to change my clothes.

But my husband stopped me.

"Mom's packing our bags for the Grand Canyon trip."

I froze on the spot.

"I just gave birth. My body probably can't handle it..."

My husband cut me off:

"That's why you'll stay home and rest up. I specially asked Valerie to help you look after my parents, and I'll be in charge of taking scenic photos for you to enjoy."

"Once you're done with your postpartum recovery, we'll be back."

As soon as he finished, his ex-wife, Valerie, unlocked my door with her fingerprint and casually took my mother-in-law's arm.

"Godmother, you rest. I'll help Lloyd pack his bags."

Watching them excitedly gathering their luggage, I felt like I'd been dropped into an ice cellar.

So it turned out he hadn't taken the leave to be with our daughter and me.

If that was the case, then there'd be no need for him to be with me from now on either.

1

I carried my daughter back to the master bedroom, changed my clothes, and got ready to go to the postpartum recovery center on my own.

Lloyd pulled me back into the room:

"Christine, um... about that—I canceled the recovery center."

My phone buzzed. I got a message:

Miss Harding, the remaining balance from your canceled postpartum recovery booking, after deducting a 20% cancellation fee, will be credited to your account today.

Every single word made my blood boil.

"Lloyd, that's the recovery center I waited three months to get a spot at."

His parents had said they'd worked hard for half their lives and would rather die than help us with the baby.

I understood and respected that, so I'd picked out a recovery center well in advance.

And Lloyd had canceled it on me without a word.

I quickly called the recovery center:

"Can I undo the cancellation?"

Lloyd snatched my phone away and hung up.

"Christine, we just had a baby. We'll have expenses everywhere from now on, so we save wherever we can."

I was so angry a hot rush kept surging out from below me, and my vision went dark.

Even the low growl that came out of me was faint and weak.

"You're taking your ex-wife and your parents on a trip to the Grand Canyon, but you want to strip me of my right to go to a recovery center?"

"I paid for it myself. What right do you have to—"

Lloyd cut me off and pulled out his phone to send me three thousand dollars:

"I know you're upset about the cancellation fee, so I'll just give it to you. There, done."

The cancellation fee was six thousand. He sent me three thousand.

And he had the nerve to say:

"You can't work for the next six months anyway, so whatever you save is money earned! You're a powerhouse at work, and I'm sure postpartum recovery won't stump you either."

I caught the smile on Valerie's face as she stood eavesdropping outside the door, and I was so angry I couldn't speak for a long moment.

All I could do was text the recovery center with trembling hands.

Lloyd's face went dark in an instant.

The next second, he smashed my phone against the floor:

"Christine Harding! Throwing money around like this—do you have any regard for this family of ours at all?"

Valerie rushed in and patted his back to calm him down:

"Lloyd, it's normal for new mothers to be short-tempered. Don't let her get to you."

Then she turned to me, coaxing:

"Christine, I know you have money. Why not give some to Lloyd's parents as a travel fund?"

While Lloyd wasn't paying attention, she lowered her voice and said:

"Going to the Grand Canyon together was the honeymoon Lloyd and I promised each other when we got married."

"If I weren't infertile, we never would have divorced. We'd be out seeing all the beautiful rivers and mountains of this country together."

"I figured you'd rise to the occasion and give him a son. Turns out you're nothing at all."

So this was the real reason the two of them had divorced.

And I'd never known Lloyd favored sons over daughters like this.

When I first got pregnant, I teased him on purpose:

"Your Vance family's only had one son per generation. If I have a daughter, will you stop loving me?"

Caught up in the joy of my pregnancy, he dropped to both knees and swore an oath to the heavens:

"Baby, it's not like we've got a throne to pass down. I love you—whatever you give birth to, I'll love."

But from the moment our daughter was born until now, he hadn't held her once.

As if she could sense she wasn't loved, our sleeping daughter suddenly scrunched up her mouth and began to cry.

Lloyd was closer to the crib.

But he only frowned, stood up, and stepped aside so I could come over and pick her up.

I didn't believe anyone could feel nothing for their own flesh and blood, so I deliberately stayed put.

"She probably feels insecure. If you hold her, she'll stop crying."

Hearing that, Lloyd's frown deepened.

But he still picked up his daughter, holding her in an awkward posture.

Ignoring the jealousy and resentment in Valerie's eyes, I stepped forward to show Lloyd how to hold her so she'd be more comfortable.

Instead, he seized the chance to shove our daughter into my arms:

"I'm all thumbs, I can't learn it. You just do it!"

The sliver of hope rising in my heart—that he might not be a good husband, but could still be a good father—shattered completely.