Chapter 4

The smug smile vanished from Chloe's face. She let go of Marcus and marched right up to me.

"Ethan Vance, what the hell is that supposed to mean?!"

She raised her hand to strike me, but just as her palm swung down, Lily lunged forward and grabbed her wrist with all her might.

Seeing our daughter defending me, Chloe shrieked and violently shoved the little girl away. I dove forward, catching Lily in my arms just before her head hit the wall.

I glared up at Chloe, shaking with disbelief. "Chloe, she's your own daughter! You can despise me, but how could you lay a hand on her?!"

"Shut up! Marcus was right—it's your filthy genes that ruined her! You gave me this useless little freak, making me the laughingstock of the entire city! Ethan, I hate you!"

Her hysterical, irrational venom left me utterly speechless. I let out a dry, bitter laugh.

When Lily was born, she was completely healthy. Back then, I worked around the clock at the plant while running home to take care of my paralyzed father.

We were both first-time parents. To make sure Chloe didn't exhaust herself, I spent a fortune hiring the best private nanny in the city.

I never could have imagined what would happen the day the nanny took personal leave. Chloe went out partying with her friends and locked our three-month-old daughter in a pitch-black nursery for an entire day.

When I finally rushed home past midnight, the scene carved itself into my soul forever. A tiny infant, staring blankly at the dark ceiling, crying until no tears came out, her tiny face turning blue from lack of oxygen.

Ever since that day, Lily never smiled again. The doctors diagnosed her with childhood autism.

Back then, Chloe had sobbed on her knees, begging for forgiveness, while my heart bled.

"Do you have any idea how many people whisper behind my back because of her?!" Chloe screamed, pointing an accusatory finger at my nose. "I always knew you looked down on me because I was the adopted daughter! Now your true colors are finally showing!"

Looking at the screaming woman before me, the pain in my chest went completely numb. All that remained was absolute relief.

Her heart belonged to someone else now. The rights and wrongs no longer mattered.

"Chloe, I never looked down on you. Believe it or not, it doesn't matter anymore."

I spoke slowly, each word drained of emotion. Shielding Lily behind me, I held out my hand.

"Give me three days. I'll take Lily and my father and move out. I won't take a penny of your money. I only have one question—when are you returning the heirloom ring I trusted you with?"

Chloe sneered. She grabbed Marcus's hand, ripped the jade signet ring off his thumb, and threw it at my feet like a piece of worthless trash.

The heirloom my father had carefully placed in my hands rolled across the dirty floorboards, stopping right by my shoes.

"I'll give you three days, Ethan!" Chloe snapped, glaring at me. "I'm throwing Marcus's birthday party here in three days, so you better pack your shit and get lost before then!"

She rolled her eyes, kicked over the dining table—spilling the food I had bought all over the floor—and wrapped herself around Marcus's arm. The two of them swaggered out into the night.

Watching her figure vanish down the street, my strength finally gave out. I sank onto the floor, buried my face in my hands, and took a long, shuddering breath.

Lily didn't understand what was happening, but she gripped my sleeve tightly, making soft, garbled sounds.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I gently stroked her back to keep her from having an episode.

"I'm sorry, Lily... Daddy made you suffer."

I was the one who named her. When she was born, Chloe took one look at her gender, turned her back, and muttered that it was annoying.

Yet the moment I laid eyes on that tiny, fragile life, my heart was flooded with tenderness.

Lily—a precious, delicate flower, worthy of all the love in the world.

Lily reached up with her small, warm hand, wiping away the tear at the corner of my eye. Imitating the way I always comforted her, she softly patted my back.

"Daddy... don't... rush."

Looking at my sweet, innocent daughter, warmth bloomed in my chest. I squeezed her hand and finally managed a faint smile.

Over the next three days, Chloe and I went to the courthouse to sign the divorce decree. I signed over every shared asset under my name to her.

I immediately reached out to coworkers to find a cheap rental apartment, scraping together every dollar I had to pay the deposit and hire an in-home caregiver for my dad.

On the third day, I moved my father and daughter into the modest rental.

As I zipped up the last duffel bag, Chloe's voice came from behind me.

I turned around. Our eyes met, and seeing the absence of anger in her gaze, I hesitated for a fraction of a second.

"Ethan... did you ever truly love me?"