Chapter 1

Everyone in my daughter’s parent group chat was frantically tagging me.

“Lily’s dad, it’s her teacher’s twins’ birthday today. All her husband asked you to do was come set off a hundred celebratory fireworks. Was that really worth blowing us off?”

I opened the photos in the chat. The venue was packed with parents who had come to celebrate.

“Sorry. I have a $200 million contract to sign this afternoon. I’ll hire someone to handle the fireworks.”

The chat immediately filled with sneering replies.

“Keep pretending! You’d think he ran some huge business!”

“If you can’t afford to come, just say so. A $200 million contract? Who would believe that?”

Derek Hayes scoffed. “Afraid I’ll make you pay for the fireworks? What kind of man are you, you broke loser? Or are you scared to show up because you’re jealous I have a son and a daughter, while all you have is an adopted girl?”

Then he deliberately showed off the photo pendant around his neck, displaying a picture of his family of four.

I pulled out the matching pendant hanging around my own neck and froze in shock.

The woman in both photos was Vanessa Reed.

I stood rooted to the spot, my heart turning to ice.

My wife, who had agreed to remain child-free with me for ten years, had secretly started a family with another man—and given birth to twins?

The parents in the chat were still mocking me.

“Now that we’ve exposed him, he’s got nothing to say! Look how happy Ms. Reed’s family is. Some people will never have that!”

“Ms. Reed isn’t some ordinary teacher. She’s the Hawthorne Group’s heiress and future CEO. She’s only teaching to experience life among regular people.”

“Derek isn’t just happy. He hit the jackpot! Every anniversary, Ms. Reed gives him and the kids expensive presents. Shopping malls, amusement parks, mansions, yachts, even their own stars. She’s been doing it for ten whole years!”

No matter how I thought about it, it seemed impossible. There had to be some misunderstanding.

Derek interrupted them, pretending to be kind. “Lily’s dad, just get over here. If you’re really that broke, I can spare you a few bucks. Consider it a good deed in honor of my twins’ birthday.”

“All I have to do is whisper a few sweet words to my wife, and she’ll give me the money. That’s still better than pretending to be rich in your adopted daughter’s parent chat.”

I frowned at the messages.

When I looked up, my wife, Vanessa, walked into the room carrying her massage kit.

She knelt in front of me with practiced ease and reached to take off my socks.

“Honey, you didn’t sleep well last night. Is work wearing you out, or is something bothering you? I just learned a new pressure point for foot massages. Let me help you relax, okay?”

I gave her a cold look and pulled away from her touch.

“I have to go out soon. Some other time.”

Vanessa gave an uneasy smile, then pulled up a video on her phone to show me.

“Honey, the children’s home where I grew up is short-staffed. The director asked me to volunteer for a few days and help look after some of the new kids. You don’t mind, do you?”

She took my hand and swung it gently, coaxing me the way she always did.

I nodded.

With my permission secured, she fluttered away like a butterfly.

A volunteer mother at a children’s home? The Hawthorne Group’s heiress? Or my wife of ten years, who had promised to stay child-free?

I no longer knew which version of her was real.

This was the tenth year since Vanessa and I had met.

Ever since I was kidnapped ten years ago and suffered kidney damage, she had devoted herself to caring for me.

She was the one who suggested we never have children.

Back then, she had sworn that as long as I recovered, she would gladly spend her whole life without a child.

The doctor said my recovery would take years of careful care. Vanessa insisted on getting up at four thirty every morning to make me a different nourishing soup.

She had kept it up for ten years.

I closed my eyes, picturing the family photo Derek had shown me.

All this time, in a world I knew nothing about, her life had been perfect.

And I was nothing but a fool surrounded by counterfeit happiness.

Unable to shake the anger churning inside me, I called my assistant.

“Get my private aircraft ready. I’m going to that birthday party. Now.”