Chapter 2

The moment Milena's mother saw Mark, her face lit up with a smile. She scooped up the little boy.

"Mark's here! Come over here."

I sat in my seat, motionless.

Before, I hadn't really looked at John's face.

Milena had protected him very well.

Now they were one happy family—and the most absurd part was that Milena was still carrying my child.

"Milena, is this the explanation you promised me?"

"Did you have fun lying to me for five years?"

Everyone present turned pale.

John protectively held the child, looking tense.

"I can take the humiliation, but not my son. He's also Milena's biological child."

"He's also Mother's grandson. If you won't let the child in the door, then Mark will act like he never had a mother!"

His words were firm and forceful, as if I were the one oppressing him.

John threw down these words and left with the child.

Milena jumped to her feet, suppressing the discomfort in her belly, and chased after them.

Milena's mother glared at me fiercely and threw the agreement in my face.

"Jeff, is ten million enough to buy your future?"

"The child must enter our family. You're not allowed to interfere."

Watching their retreating figures, I felt dazed.

I crouched down and picked up the agreement from the floor.

Besides the enormous compensation, there was only one requirement.

I had to play dumb and deaf, and not interfere in matters between Milena and John.

My chest tightened. I tore the document to pieces.

I never imagined Milena would hide this from me for five agonizing years.

It was the third month after Milena and I got married. I had just returned from a business trip.

When I walked through the door, I saw the whole house in disarray.

Torn clothes, underwear, and mysterious stains on the carpet.

Milena and a strange man lay naked in the bed I shared with my wife.

Seeing this scene, I couldn't accept reality.

Milena wrapped herself in the sheets, stumbled over, and knelt while clutching my leg, her voice trembling with pleading.

"Jeff, believe me, I was drunk and mistook him for you."

"I didn't mean to. I really didn't."

She was incoherent, hands clasped together, explaining to me over and over.

"I'll never drink again. As long as you don't divorce me, I'll agree to anything."

This incident also reached her mother.

That day, her mother slapped her more than ten times.

Her mother bent over, head lowered, apologizing to me.

"Jeff, she only made one mistake. She still loves you."

At that time, I didn't want to hear anything. I only wanted to divorce her.

When Milena saw I still hadn't changed my mind.

She climbed onto the window ledge, ready to jump.

"If you divorce me, I'll jump from here."

"Without you, I won't live anyway!"

Those words made me soften.

I couldn't watch her hurt herself in front of me.

So I pulled her down from the ledge.

"We won't divorce. But there won't be a second time."

After that incident, the knot in my heart hadn't completely dissolved.

To make it up to me, she brought everything good before me.

The house, the car, company shares—everything she had.

Even my friends envied me.

"Jeff, what good deed did you do in your past life to marry a wife like this?"

As time passed, people around us got married and divorced one after another.

They started betting on how many more years Milena and I would stay together.

Later, she told me that because of company business, she needed to stay abroad for a year.

We video-called every day.

She knew I felt insecure, so she even made time to come back and see me.

She always told me not to give up my career because of her.

I really wanted to spend the rest of my life with her.

But I never imagined that her talk of being busy, her business trips—

It was all to give birth to someone else's child.

Only I was stupid enough to believe it for five years.

Tears blurred my vision. I wiped the corner of my eyes.

Looking at the divorce agreement on the table with Milena's signature already on it.

I silently put it away.

If that's how it is, then I'll grant them their wish.