Chapter 1

The day my family went bankrupt, my fiancée married the man she loved.

I, Wyatt Anderson, didn't say a thing. I simply married Ava Anderson, the woman who confessed her love to me and helped me through the tough times.

After we married, I took care of her for seven years while she was paralyzed from the waist down.

Then, on the day she stood up, I overheard her and her best friend, Olivia Carter, speaking in Lapine.

"Ava, are you really going to spend your whole life with him? What if Dylan Montgomery gets hurt again?"

Ava, peeling shrimp for our daughter, answered slowly, "Of course not! Dylan is special, and Wyatt's not. How could I bear to make Dylan sad?"

"I'm just like Mommy. I like handsome Uncle Dylan, but I hate ugly Daddy," our daughter added in Lapine.

What they didn't know was that I understood Lapine.

The fake love she had served me, I'd never take another look.

Ava gently touched our daughter Sydney's forehead, clearly pleased, and instinctively praised her in Lapine.

"Sydney's so well-behaved. Uncle Dylan and I are glad to hear that.

"When you're older, Uncle Dylan and I will have a pretty little sister for you. Then, you will have a companion at school."

Sydney clapped her hands excitedly, answering in clumsy Lapine.

"Yay, that's awesome!

"I like Uncle Dylan and Mommy the most, and I like the pretty little sister Mommy's going to have. If only we didn't have this scary, mean Daddy. I don't like him at all. He annoys me."

I froze, shocked. I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

Ava must have noticed my stare because she smiled and helped me with some lettuce, speaking gently, "Baby, what's wrong?"

I shook my head, my heart aching so much it felt like it was being torn apart. A suffocating feeling spread through my body.

Ava must have forgotten that I was the first one to learn Lapine in this family.

She must also have forgotten that I never eat lettuce.

My expression darkened.

Noticing my silence, Ava became nervous and unsure. She gently took my hand.

"Baby, why do you look so upset all of a sudden?"

I pulled my hand away and smiled awkwardly, trying to keep the facade up.

"It's nothing. I just can't believe you forgot that I don't like lettuce," I said, pretending to act cute.

"By the way, what were you saying just now? Speaking in Lapine?"

Ava froze for a moment, clearly guilty, not daring to look at me.

"Oh, it was nothing. It's just that Olivia is jealous of how good our relationship is."

She quickly came up with an excuse and tried to shift the attention away.

"I'm sorry, baby. I'll remember from now on, and I won't let you eat lettuce again.

"You're the best, and you should only have sweet things, never anything bitter."

She continued to comfort me in a soft voice while picking out the lettuce from my plate.

Our daughter rolled her eyes at me and huffed, "Humph, so dramatic. It's just lettuce. It's not going to kill you.

"You're a man, and you're still picky? How embarrassing."

Ava, who had been gentle just moments ago, immediately turned serious and scolded our daughter.

"Sydney, don't speak to your father like that! Apologize right now!"

Our daughter reluctantly stuck out her tongue and mumbled, "Sorry!"

Even Olivia, unable to stand it any longer, made a comment.

"Alright, we get it. You two have a great relationship. No need to keep showing off. Why are you scolding the kid?"

Ava shot her a proud look.

"Ha, you're just jealous that I have such a handsome, understanding husband. I'm going to show off as much as I want. After all, I'm the one who admires him. I'll show off a thousand times a day if I want."

I set my fork down and looked at Ava quietly.

She tried to look all loving, and when she noticed me looking at her, she quickly served me a bowl of soup, blowing on it before offering it to me.

"Baby, do you want some soup?

"Baby, you've worked so hard these seven years taking care of me and the kid.

"Baby, I can finally stand up. You don't need to worry anymore. I'll love you with everything I've got from now on."

If I had heard these words in the past, they would have brought tears to my eyes.

But now, all I felt was a deep, bitter sting and irony.

She had fooled me so well that I almost convinced myself that the conversation in Lapine had been nothing but my imagination.