Chapter 4

A daughter?

I let out a silent, bitter laugh. I lowered my head and kept eating, refusing to say another word.

If it had nothing to do with us, why did you just look me in the eye and lie to me?

Lily, oh Lily. You really think I’m an idiot, don't you?

The warmth in my chest was completely gone, replaced by a freezing numbness. But I didn't confront her right there.

After all, these were still just my deductions.

Aside from hearing that boy call Ryan "Daddy," I had no hard evidence.

I decided to investigate quietly. I needed proof before I laid my cards on the table.

After dinner, I washed the dishes and went to take a shower.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I saw Lily standing on the balcony, making a phone call.

Her back was turned to me. One hand held the phone tight to her ear, while her other hand gestured wildly in the air.

We had been married for eight years. I knew her body language.

She only gestured like that when she was furious and losing her mind.

Moreover, the sliding glass door to the balcony was tightly shut.

Why would she lock herself out there just to make a call? Who was she hiding from?

That night, I slept with my back turned completely away from her.

The next morning, I bumped into our downstairs neighbor, Harvey, in the elevator.

"Hey, Ethan," Harvey said, patted my shoulder with a sympathetic look. "Look, as a married man, let me give you some advice. You gotta compromise with women. No marriage is perfect. Just apologize and move on."

Harvey was a good guy, just trying to be a peacemaker.

I played along, keeping my face neutral, and carefully probed for info.

Harvey, having no filter, spilled everything.

Apparently, he was smoking on his balcony last night. Because our apartments were stacked, Lily’s frantic voice drifted right down to him from our balcony.

He heard her screaming things like, "The kid has to change schools immediately!"

Harvey thought we were having a massive fight over Leo's schooling, which was why he was trying to counsel me.

I nodded politely, thanking him for the advice.

But inside, my mind was violently spinning.

Last night, I suspected Lily was calling her stepbrother.

Now, it was confirmed.

The "kid" she was frantically trying to transfer to another school was Riverside Elementary's Lucas.

Lily knew I was suspicious.

To prevent the truth from coming out, she was desperately forcing Ryan to move the boy.

I couldn't wait any longer.

I decided to take the initiative. I called my office, took a personal day off, and drove straight to Riverside Elementary.

Since I had my government work ID, I easily made up an excuse to get past the school security.

After some quick inquiries at the administration office, I got the boy's registered name: Lucas Jenkins. Parents: Ryan Jenkins. Relationship: Father.

I found the classroom of the second-grade teacher. I introduced myself as Lucas's uncle.

I even asked the teacher to call Lucas out of the classroom for a minute. Under the guise of a "family update," I took a quick photo of me and the boy on my phone.

With the evidence in hand, I left the school.

Since I had the day off, I drove straight back home.

"Why are you home?"

I had only been sitting on the couch for a few minutes when Lily walked in with groceries.

Seeing me home on a weekday, she froze.

Then, sensing the heavy, suffocating aura around me, her voice trembled. "What's wrong? Don't you have work today?"

"I just came back from Riverside Elementary."

I unlocked my phone, opened the photo gallery, and turned the screen toward her. "Take a look. Doesn't he look exactly like our Leo?"

"I asked the school. His name is Lucas Jenkins. He's your stepbrother Ryan's son."

"But last night, you told me he had a daughter... Why did you lie to me?"