Once I finished speaking, I didn't bother sticking around to see their reaction. I went straight to the bedroom and packed my things. Since I'd decided to leave for good, I didn't want to leave any trace of myself behind.

I was folding my clothes when the sound of cheerful conversation going on in the living room seeped in beneath the door anyway, making me pause.

"Toby, I plan on giving this baby your last name. That way, even though he addresses someone else as his father, he'll still remember that you're his real father."

Even though I couldn't see it, I could still envision the affectionate look on Ivy's face as she said that. Nevertheless, she had long since shattered my heart into pieces.

All of a sudden, I recalled the scene of my arrival home last month. I'd come home bearing the souvenirs I'd bought specifically for Ivy. However, when I got to the front door, I was greeted by the sight of Ivy and Toby hand-in-hand as they returned from a walk.

Ivy looked alarmed, but Toby simply eyed me suspiciously before asking if I'd come to the wrong house.

I remained silent, my eyes fixed on Ivy's swollen belly. I'd been away for 11 months, but my wife was pregnant. There was no way for me to trick myself into believing the baby could be mine.

At last, a panicked Ivy stepped in front of Toby and introduced me, "This is my husband, Abel Stone."

I'd assumed that, upon hearing that, Toby would rein himself in a little. However, he continued acting like the man of the house and invited me in to take a seat.

As I walked past him, he murmured at a volume only the two of us could hear, "Make yourself at home. I'll treat you like a family member. After all, your wife is pregnant with my baby."

All the blood rushed to my head. I couldn't hold myself back any longer, so I punched him right in the face. I'd lost all sense of reason. The yearning I'd been feeling for Ivy for the past 11 months instantly turned into rage.

If I had had a blade on me at the time, I might've killed them both.

The neighbors heard the commotion and called the police. We were all taken down to the police station, but since it was a family matter, the police didn't feel right to intervene. They had us sent home instead.

As soon as we got back, Fred and Cora began rebuking me without even figuring out what happened first. They lashed out at me for causing such a scene the moment I returned and making the family a laughingstock in front of all the neighbors.

They also said all my years of education had gone down the drain, for I'd chosen to attack someone. They even swore they'd make me face the consequences if anything untoward happened.

It was then that I realized they knew about Ivy and Toby all along, and they even gave the two their full support. In just under a year, Toby had become the ideal son-in-law to them.

I was the only one who was still kept in the dark.

At the time, my heart was filled with sorrow and bitterness. I was deeply hurt. However, Ivy simply approached me hesitantly and took my hand in an attempt to reason with me.

"I never thought about betraying you. Toby is sick. His doctor says he only has about six months to live. I can't bear to see him die without even having someone to carry on his family name.

"I considered discussing it with you first, but you were abroad. I was afraid you'd get too worried about it. I didn't want to affect your training, so I figured I'd tell you about it once you got back. As long as you're fine with it, we can raise the child together, okay?"

Raising a child was a monumental task, but she made it sound like a regular grocery run.

…

I'd stuffed my last article of clothing into my suitcase when Cora came into the bedroom. When she saw the suitcase at my feet, she gave me an approving look, as if conveying that I'd finally acted appropriately for once.

"Since you've been away the whole time, I allowed Toby to stay in your room. The study has been turned into the baby's room as well, so you'll have to settle for the living room tonight. If not, you can find yourself a hotel room instead."

I was too exhausted and had no energy to head off to a hotel. Thus, I nodded and decided to sleep on the living room couch for the night.

However, late at night, the sound of a baby crying kept coming from the bedroom. As I flipped over and tried to put on my earplugs, I heard Ivy grumbling, "Hurry up and coax the baby! He's going to keep crying otherwise."

"Aren't you my baby? All I need to do is keep you happy. It's fine to let the baby cry. It helps his lungs develop."

Ivy chuckled and called Toby cheesy. That was soon followed by the sound of movements on the bed.

I pulled the blanket over my head, doing my best to ignore those unseemly sounds. However, when I closed my eyes, the memory of the first time Ivy confessed her feelings to me appeared in my head.

She was such a sweet and wonderful person. She had been truly devoted to me back then, but alas, that side of her no longer belonged to me.

I had a fitful sleep that night. At dawn the next morning, I left the house with my suitcase in tow.

First, I went to the county clerk's office to finalize my paperwork before I left the country. As I'd already completed all the necessary applications beforehand, the process went smoothly. The clerk handling my paperwork didn't ask much, either.

Just as I was about to leave, the clerk stopped me and passed me a piece of candy.

"I hope all your wishes come true," she said.

I flashed her a grateful smile before heading off to find a hotel. After setting down my suitcase, I headed off to grab a bite to eat.

As luck would have it, I ended up running into Ivy and Toby. Her parents and her baby were also with them.

Toby was dressed in an expensive, bespoke Armani suit. He looked like he was in the pink of health, not at all like someone who was on the verge of dying.

"I spotted you from a distance, Abe, but Ivy said there was no way you'd be here," Toby called out.

His gaze fell on the recruitment flyer I was holding. Chuckling, he remarked, "Oh, are you out looking for a job, Abe? But you know, with how scrawny you are, don't you think you're just making things hard for yourself by getting a job at a construction site?"

I said nothing. A young woman had passed me the recruitment flyer just now. She'd been standing out in the street in the middle of winter, so I took one from her out of pity.

Seeing that I was simply remaining silent while still gripping the flyer, Toby began smiling even more arrogantly.

"You should've told me you're looking for a job. Perhaps I might be able to help. After all, we're family now. If you do well for yourself, it means I can rest easy knowing that Ivy will have someone who can look after her for the rest of her life."

My silence seemed to come across as a tacit admission.

Ivy had seemed doubtful all along, but now, her expression immediately hardened. Her brows furrowed as she eyed me in contempt.

"What's the point of trying to help him? He's the one who insisted on resigning from the great job he had as a doctor. Even if he ends up starving to death on the street now, he doesn't deserve any sympathy from anyone else!" she snapped.

"You really have no sense of responsibility at all, Abel! Do you seriously think you can force me to abandon the baby by doing this?"

As I looked at her familiar face, it suddenly seemed completely foreign to me.

I could recall an incident that occurred when we were newly married. My position at the hospital had been affected by the office politics within the hospital. At that time, I was strongly considering resigning and switching to a new career.

After hearing that, Ivy hugged me and patted me consolingly. She then gently said, "Since we are married, we are of one mind. I'll support you no matter what you choose to do.

"So what if you resign? It's not a big deal. I have faith that someone as brilliant as you will always find a chance to shine. I'll always be by your side."

Alas, the woman who claimed she would always be by my side was now allowing another man to humiliate me. She'd forgotten the things she once said to me. She also seemed to have forgotten her once ardent love for me.

Even Fred and Cora were shaking their heads disapprovingly, as if I were a huge disappointment to them.

"I was such a blind fool back then. I can't believe I trusted you to take care of my daughter for the rest of her life!"

"Thank goodness the two of us are still around. If we weren't, we would never have known just how badly you'd mistreat her!"

The more they spoke, the more exaggerated their claims became. Even the passersby began eyeing us curiously.

My hands balled into fists. Just as I was about to speak, Toby abruptly approached me and said, "We were just about to take a family portrait. Why don't you join us, Abe? After all, I still have to trouble you to look after Ivy and my son on my behalf in the future."

Ivy immediately chimed in with a derisive snort, saying, "Look at him! He's dressed like a beggar. He'll only be making the rest of us look bad if he joins us."

She turned around and headed off toward the photography studio, not forgetting to urge Toby to keep up.

"Well, in that case, we'll get going now. We won't keep you from your job search any longer," Toby said as he gave me a sarcastic pat on the back.

As I watched him leave, I didn't feel any stir of emotion at all.

In everyone else's eyes, they looked like a loving, happy family.

Since this was what Ivy wanted, what was the harm in letting go and giving them my blessing?

Three days before my scheduled departure, I got a message from Dr. Henry Lloyd, the hospital director at Centrum Hospital. I had previously sought his help to get in touch with Dr. Elliott Vance, a medical expert.

Dr. Lloyd informed me that Dr. Vance was currently in the country for a conference. It was possible to arrange for Dr. Vance to check on Fred's condition.

Fred suffered from coronary heart disease, and it had been giving him trouble all along. A few years ago, he even had to be taken to the hospital for emergency treatment.

During my year abroad, I asked my colleagues to help gather information about similar medical cases.

Regardless of everything, I still felt sentimental about the times we previously shared as a family. I figured that this was the last thing I would do for them. Once this was over, neither one of us owed the other anything.

However, when Fred heard me say that I wanted to take him to the hospital, his expression clouded over at once.

"Why should I go to the hospital when I'm perfectly fine? Are you trying to jinx me? My bypass surgery was a success, so why would I need to get another checkup?"

"A top cardiology expert is in town today. You should get a consultation with him. Perhaps it can help prevent any future—"

Before I could finish speaking, Fred cut me off by throwing a mug at me.

"You sure know how to make yourself look good. As if a jobless loser like you can get an appointment with a top cardiology expert! All you're good at is bragging.

"Meanwhile, where were you when Toby stayed up all night just to help me get an appointment with one of the best doctors available, huh?"

Judging from the way Fred kept comparing me to Toby, it was clear what his attitude was. Nothing I did was going to be right. No matter what I did, I would never be better than Toby.

Once I realized that, I simply smiled bitterly and said, "Since you refuse to go, we can just forget about it."

I'd just chalk it up to me sticking my nose where it didn't belong. I'd brought the humiliation upon myself.

…

Soon, the sip and see party for the baby arrived.

I showed up late and was a little dazed when I saw the event hall filled with Ivy's relatives, most of whom I didn't even know the names of. This was an even grander affair than our wedding had been.

Right at the entrance of the hall was the family portrait that the five of them had taken.

At the end of the day, I was nothing more than a joke.

When the guests in attendance saw me, they immediately began whispering among themselves. I didn't have to overhear them to figure out what they had to be saying.

Soon, Bertha Norris, one of Ivy's aunts, took my arm and said, "Abel! When did you come back? Ivy never said a word. I heard once you return after your training, you'll be promoted to attending physician at Centrum Hospital! You've got such a bright future ahead of you."

I simply nodded politely without replying. I could see the scorn and derision in the eyes of all these relatives. It was impossible to miss.

As it was, I wasn't even included in the family portrait, and I wasn't the one standing beside Ivy throughout the event.

Someone who had no qualms about stirring up drama pointed at Toby, who was feeding Ivy a piece of cake, and asked, "Who's that, Abel? I didn't know either one of you had a younger brother."

Smirking, I replied, "That's Ivy's new husband."

Everyone around me had their ears perked. Thus, after hearing what I said, they immediately widened their eyes and started gossiping away.

Since Ivy and her family didn't care, why should I bother hiding the truth on their behalf?

At that moment, Ivy went up on stage and picked up the microphone. "I'm so happy that all of you have joined me to celebrate the birth of my son. Before this, I never thought about becoming a mother. I always felt like I wouldn't be able to be a good one.

"However, when I was lying in the delivery room and heard him cry for the first time, it finally hit me just how noble a mother's love could be."

She spoke with such earnest emotion, almost as if she would tear up from hearing her own moving words at any moment now.

Bertha, who was standing beside me, called out, "Let's have the baby's father say a few words, too! Where is he?"

Instantly, the atmosphere in the hall turned awkward. Everyone began glancing between Toby and me. The answer was obvious, but Bertha seemed to have asked the question to force Ivy to admit the truth herself.

Meeting Ivy's gaze, I slowly made my way up the stage. She was still frozen when I took the microphone away from her.

"What are you doing? I'm warning you! You'd better watch what you say, or else, I'll make you pay."

Her eyes were flickering with panic as she gripped my sleeve to threaten me, but I pulled myself away with a straight face. Only those with a guilty conscience had something to fear.

I began my speech.

"First of all, thank you to everyone who came all this way to attend this celebration. All of you here today witnessed the day Ivy and I got married. Even after the wedding, I always remembered the well wishes you gave us.

"Nevertheless, you have all seen the family portrait by the entrance when you came in earlier."

Ivy's expression darkened at once. She marched at me and tried to snatch the microphone out of my hand, but I swiftly dodged her.

Gripping the microphone tightly, I continued, "To be honest, I was shocked when I saw it. However, I was even more shocked when I came home after spending a year abroad to hone my medical skills.

"I came back to find that my wife, who always said she didn't want to have children, was eight months pregnant. I refuse to just swallow this humiliation, and I'm not going to be saddled with this responsibility, either!

"Ivy, let's get a divorce."