Chapter 1

When Julian found out I was pregnant, he dropped to his knees in front of me, tears streaming down his face.

"Chloe, please abort the baby. I'm drowning in a hundred thousand dollars of debt. Even if you bring this child into the world, it’ll just suffer alongside us."

Looking at our mountain of bills, I wanted to agree.

Still, I couldn't bear to let the baby go. I secretly went to an underground clinic for an examination.

An accident happened. I lost the baby, and with it, my ability to ever become a mother.

Julian didn't blame me, but late at night, I would catch him in the shadows, the red ember of his cigarette glowing in the dark.

For the next five years, I kept my head down, working eight jobs a day.

All to help Julian pay off his debts faster, and to repay the steady, unwavering love he had given me.

Until one day, I took a cleaning gig at a luxury estate. Through the heavy double doors, the loud cheer of a birthday party drifted out.

"Mr. Vance really is an incredible father. Dropping four million dollars to rent this entire private estate just to celebrate his son's birthday."

"It's just pocket change. My boy is turning five. You only get one fifth birthday in your life, right?"

I thought my ears were playing tricks on me.

How could that be Julian's voice?

Just this morning, he kissed me goodbye and said he was going to a construction site. He told me he’d found a new gig hauling drywall that paid twenty-five bucks an hour.

"Daddy! I'm so happy!"

"As long as you're happy, buddy. Daddy makes money just to put a smile on your face."

A man’s silhouette appeared in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Panicking, I shrank back into the shadows of the hedges.

Julian wore a sharp, perfectly tailored suit. He carried an adorable little boy who looked like a porcelain doll toward the glass.

He looked poised and aristocratic. His cufflinks caught the sunlight with a dazzling glint, and a massive signet ring sat on his long, slender finger.

I looked down at myself.

A worn-out T-shirt washed so many times it had lost its shape, faded jeans, and a pair of cheap canvas sneakers bought from a sidewalk stall for ten bucks, the sole already peeling apart on one side.

"Daddy's got another surprise for you. You'll see tonight."

Julian didn't notice me. He patted the little boy's head, looking every bit the doting, loving father.

The boy clapped his hands with pure joy.

His eyes and features bore a striking resemblance to Julian. No one could doubt they were father and son.

Did Julian just say he was turning five today?

Five years old... Five years...

Five years ago, Julian used poverty as an excuse to make me abort our baby.

It never once crossed my mind that there was another explanation: he already had a child.

That was why, over the past five years, he had never once resented me for having my body ruined by that shady clinic.

Like a fool, I believed it was because he loved me.

Tears welled up and spilled over. I clamped a hand over my mouth and crouched behind the garden wall, desperate not to let anyone see me.

Right then, my phone buzzed violently.

"Why haven't you clocked in yet? Mr. Vance already called! If you don't show up right now, you won't get a single dime for today's shift!"

I used the stone wall to pull myself up, listening to the cheers inside the mansion.

"I'm sorry... I'm really not feeling well today."

The staffing agency manager’s temper flared instantly.

"If you're sick, say so earlier! Mr. Vance is throwing a birthday bash for his son today—do you have any idea how much money he spent on this? I only threw this gig your way because you've been working for me for so long. How could you bail on me like this?"

Outside, people addressed him with absolute deference as Mr. Vance.

Yet in front of me, he played the part of a penniless nobody down on his luck.

I swallowed my tears. "I'm so sorry, boss. I really..."

As if my body decided to validate my lie, a sharp, piercing pain suddenly stabbed through my lower abdomen.

My knees gave out, and I slammed onto the ground. The phone slipped from my grasp, its screen going completely black within seconds.

This phone was a hand-me-down from Julian.

He had told me he needed a newer model because he was always out meeting clients, but this old one was still usable.

When he gave it to me, I had treated it like a priceless treasure.

Looking back now, I had been an utter clown.

Several large flatbed trucks rumbled up the private driveway of the estate. Workers quickly unloaded and set up thousands of custom fireworks.

Hiding in the bushes, I watched the fireworks launch into the sky, bursting into breathtaking cascades of vibrant colors. I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

Julian had told me he owed forty thousand dollars in back debts.

Forty thousand dollars once brought a grown man to his knees in front of me, crying his eyes out.

Yet here he was, spending fortunes just to paint the night sky for a few seconds.

Inside the estate, Julian held his little boy by the window, watching the fireworks together.

Out on the pavement, the worn-out sole of my sneaker finally gave up and split clean open.

I kicked off my shoes and walked barefoot toward home. The sharp gravel along the road cut deep into my soles, leaving a trail of bloody nicks behind me.

Not long after I got back to our rundown apartment, Julian walked through the door.

He was still wearing the dirty white tank top he’d left in this morning, with a pair of cheap work boots on his feet.

"Babe, I'm home."

The moment he stepped inside, the stench of alcohol hit me.

Seeing me frown, he gave an apologetic grin.

"The guys on the crew bought a round after work, so I had a few. Do I smell that bad?"

His eyes drifted down to my feet. "Oh god, what happened to your feet? Why are there so many cuts?"

I sniffled and forced a flat tone. "It's nothing. My shoes broke, so I walked back."

He wrapped his arms around me, gently rubbing my back. "Babe, it's my fault. I don't have the cash to buy you new shoes right now. We still have some superglue. I'll patch them up for you tomorrow."

I turned away from him. "My feet are fine. Let's just go to sleep."

Julian didn't sense anything off. Like he always did, he took a shower, came to bed, and pulled me into his arms.

His arm rested heavily across my waist. Soon, his breathing turned deep and steady.

I kept my eyes wide open in the dark, letting the tears fall in silence.