Eight years of marriage and I had never once checked his phone.

The password was still set to my birthday.

But the wallpaper was no longer our wedding photo.

Instead, it was a picture of him, Gianna and their child, like a perfect little family.

I swallowed the bitterness clawing at my chest and opened his messages.

Thousands of photos filled the chat.

Every single one was of Felix and that child.

A memory surfaced when our son was just born; I had eagerly asked for a family photo.

But he had brushed me off without a second thought.

"Henry is too young for that. We can take one when he’s older."

Naïve as I was, I had believed he simply disliked taking pictures.

Back then, the only photo I had was one I secretly took while he slept, carefully placing our baby beside him to capture a fleeting moment of father and son.

Now, I finally understood.

It wasn’t that he hated taking pictures.

He just didn’t want to take them with my child.

My fingers trembled as I scrolled through the images, each one driving another nail into my heart.

Then, I stumbled upon a video sent just the night before our son’s birthday party.

In it, my child was pinned beneath Gianna’s son, struggling as he was bullied.

Then came a voice, Gianna’s, coated in false innocence.

"Felix, Adeline’s son, is already fighting back at such a young age. Imagine what he’ll be like when he grows up!"

"What should we do? I’m really scared!"

A violent tremor overtook my body, my grip on the phone turning unsteady.

My son had done nothing wrong.

Yet, with just one sentence from Gianna, his entire future had been ruined.

I bit down hard on my lip, forcing down the surge of hatred rising inside me.

This man was filthy. Disgusting.

And I no longer wanted him.

A cold numbness spread through me, drowning out every last ember of pain. Without hesitation, I tossed the phone aside as if merely touching it would taint me.

I picked up another, dialing a number I hadn’t called in a long time.

It rang twice before a familiar voice answered: my senior brother, the only person I could still trust.

Calmly, I asked him to help me find a hospital overseas, one that could give my son the rehabilitation treatment he deserved.

When Felix returned to the hospital room, I had just finished booking plane tickets for myself and my child. We would leave in three days.

He didn’t notice the traces of dried tears on my face nor the lingering redness in my eyes. Instead, he seized my hand, his voice brimming with excitement.

“Adeline, I want to throw another birthday party for Henry tomorrow,” he said. “At the same time, I’ll announce our decision to adopt the child. What do you think?”

I stilled.

Then, a note I had seen in his phone’s calendar resurfaced in my mind.

Tomorrow was Gianna’s child’s birthday.

My lips curled into a faint, unreadable smile. “Alright.”

Since I was leaving soon, I might as well treat this as a final farewell.

The next day, it was nearly noon when Felix finally sent someone to pick me up from the hospital.

As I stepped into the hotel, the sight before me sliced through my heart like a knife.

Gianna, draped in a custom-made gown, stood beside Felix, the two of them clasping their child’s hands as they welcomed guests.

A picture-perfect family.

Meanwhile, my Henry had been left on the cold, unforgiving floor like discarded trash. His little body was covered in dirt, his clothes wrinkled and stained, as if he had been thrown aside the moment he became an inconvenience.

Felix didn’t even spare him a glance.

He didn’t see my son, trembling and hungry, pick up a half-eaten bun from the floor, the same one someone had carelessly tossed aside and shove it into his mouth.

A sharp sting burned in my chest. My vision blurred with rage as I rushed forward, gathering my son into my arms.

Before I could demand an explanation, Felix seized my wrist and pulled me into a private lounge.

“Adeline,” he said, his voice laced with forced patience. “There are a lot of important guests here today. Henry isn’t in the best state right now. I don’t want him to feel overwhelmed. Why don’t you stay here with him for now?”

He was trying to sound gentle as if he were making some reasonable request.

But I caught it, the fleeting flicker of disgust in his eyes.

I turned my gaze toward the banquet hall.

On the massive screen, photos of Felix and Gianna’s child played in an endless loop.

At the center of the stage, a mountain of lavish gifts stood in a grand display.

Not a single one belonged to Henry.

Even the name written in gold atop the extravagant cake wasn’t my son’s.

Felix followed my line of sight and for the first time, a flicker of realization crossed his face.

Perhaps, at that moment, he finally understood the cruelty of what he had done.

He pulled me into his arms, his voice urgent. “Adeline, don’t misunderstand. Gianna doesn’t want to let go of her child. I did all of this just to reassure her so she’d agree to the adoption.”

I tried to smile, but my lips refused to move.

Before he could say another word, Gianna’s son suddenly ran into the room and latched onto his leg.

“Daddy, you said you got me lots of presents! Come show me!”

Without sparing Henry or me a glance, Felix lifted him into his arms, a warm smile spreading across his face and walked away.

I sank onto the couch, clutching Henry tightly, my heart shattering into pieces.

The banquet carried on, but Felix never returned.

Realizing he had completely forgotten us, I held Henry close, steeling myself to leave.

Just as I was about to rise, Gianna stepped in front of me, her fingers curled around her son’s hand.

She smiled sweetly, but her eyes gleamed with mockery.

“Adeline, being abandoned doesn’t feel so good, does it?”

She let out a soft laugh, her gaze flicking to Henry. “Look at your pathetic son. How could he ever compare to my Onyx?”

“What a pity… That night, when he was forced to drink white wine, he sobbed so miserably. The assistant was trembling like a leaf and in the end, Felix had to do it himself.”

She tilted her head, laughing as if savoring the memory.

“So what if you’re Mrs. Young? Your son still ended up a fool just because I willed it.”

A tremor of fury ran through me. I bit down on my lip so hard that a sharp, metallic taste flooded my mouth.

Then, without warning, Gianna yanked her own child forward and struck him once, twice.

His cheeks flushed red with swelling, his piercing cries slicing through the air.

Before I could react, Felix stormed in.

He rushed forward, his face twisted in anguish as he scooped the boy into his arms.

His bloodshot eyes locked onto me, blazing with fury.

"Adeline, have you lost your mind? How could you lay a hand on a child?"

I froze; my breath caught in my throat, the words I wanted to say locked inside me.

Gianna threw herself into Felix’s arms, sobbing pitifully.

"Felix, I only wanted to bring my son to meet his future mother, but I never thought she’d call him a bastard, saying he wasn’t worthy of competing with Henry for the inheritance!"

Her voice quivered, thick with feigned sorrow. "I never wanted him to fight over anything… If Sister Adeline can’t accept him, then I’ll take him away."

Felix’s face darkened. Without hesitation, he grabbed my collar and struck me across the face.

"Adeline, since I adopted Onyx, he is my son. Whether you like it or not, you will treat him well!"

I clutched my stinging cheek, my vision blurring with tears.

Before I could utter a word, Henry suddenly lunged at Onyx, wrapping his small arms around him as he wailed,

"No! No bullying, Mommy! Bad people!"

Felix’s expression turned thunderous. Without warning, he lifted his foot and sent Henry flying.

I screamed and lunged forward, but I was too late.

Henry’s head slammed into the sharp corner of the table and blood gushed out in an instant.

My hands trembled as I cradled him, pressing desperately against the wound, but the more I pressed, the more the blood poured.

Tears blurred my vision as I looked up at Felix, my voice breaking with desperation.

"Please, save our Henry!"

For a fleeting moment, he hesitated, his arms slightly reaching toward Henry—until Gianna shrieked and seized his hand.

"Felix, Onyx’s face is bleeding! What if he gets a scar?"

Felix turned, his gaze finally landing on the faint scratch on Onyx’s cheek.

A long silence followed. Then, without a word, he picked up Onyx and strode toward the door.

A searing pain tore through my chest.

I gritted my teeth, forcing my legs to move as I stumbled after them.

Just as they reached the ambulance, Felix suddenly stretched out a hand, stopping me in my tracks.

Guilt flickered in his eyes, but his voice remained firm.

"Adeline, Henry already had a brain injury before. Even if he's bleeding, it won’t be that serious."

"Onyx is different. He will be the Young family's heir. If his face is scarred, it will affect the entire family."

"Just wait here. Another ambulance will be here soon."

Before I could say a word, he had already ushered Gianna and her son into the ambulance and vanished into the night.