The family outing we'd planned fell apart the moment Jeremy Mason inserted himself into our lives.

My daughter's spirits had sunk. She barely touched her cotton candy—her favorite treat—taking only a few listless bites.

At noon, I brought her to a hotel for a reunion with some old college friends.

During the meal, someone asked why Virginia hadn't come along.

I forced a smile and deflected with some excuse.

A friend raised his glass, teasing me with a knowing grin.

"Virginia used to buy train tickets just to come see you back in college. You two were the couple everyone envied!"

"Childhood sweethearts who actually made it work, and now you've got this adorable little girl. Living the dream, man!"

I smiled and knocked back my drink, swallowing the bitterness along with it.

Virginia and I had grown up together. Childhood sweethearts, just like they said.

She'd been the ringleader among the neighborhood kids—mischievous, fearless, always stirring up trouble.

Whenever we played house, she'd point at me with that impish grin of hers.

"I pick Rudolph to be my groom!"

I was the quiet, bookish one. The other kids never wanted me on their team. But Virginia would grab my hand without hesitation and pull me to her side.

That was when I first fell for her.

The memories of our happiness collided with the reality of how she'd been favoring Jeremy. The contrast left a weight on my chest. I excused myself, needing air.

As I passed one of the private dining rooms, I stopped cold.

Inside, Virginia sat shoulder to shoulder with Jeremy. Across from them were two elderly people—clearly his parents.

Through the gap in the door, I heard Jeremy's laughter.

"Mom, Dad, don't worry. Give it another year or two and I'll marry Ginny properly. You'll have your grandson before you know it!"

I shoved the door open and fixed Virginia with an icy stare.

The two elders looked up, confused, asking who I was looking for.

A flicker of panic crossed Virginia's face, but she composed herself quickly.

"Mom, Dad—this is a distant cousin of mine. What a coincidence running into him here."

I let out a cold laugh and repeated her words.

"Distant cousin?"

So that's what I was to her.

And that casual "Mom, Dad" she'd used—it seared through me like a brand pressed to bare skin.

Virginia stood and pulled me aside, her voice low and urgent.

"Jeremy's parents showed up unexpectedly. He asked me to help him put on a show, just to put their minds at ease."

"Go wait outside. We'll talk about this at home."

I pushed her away, my gaze cutting.

"If that's what you want, I can give you your freedom. Let you be his wife—officially."

Virginia's face flushed with anger. She opened her mouth to argue, but my attention had already shifted.

The jade pendant and necklace in the elderly couple's hands.

They were my parents' keepsakes.

My mind went blank. I stared at Virginia, unable to process what I was seeing.

"You gave away my parents' belongings as gifts?"

Virginia stammered, her eyes darting away from mine.

I strode directly to the couple, teeth clenched, palm outstretched.

"Give them back."

Jeremy shot to his feet and shoved me hard, his voice dripping with contempt.

"Rudolph, don't you dare make a scene in front of my parents. Get the hell out!"

He turned to comfort them, his tone shifting to syrupy reassurance.

"Mom, Dad, Ginny's cousin isn't right in the head. He's the reason his own mother died—can't stand seeing other families happy. Just ignore him."

The blood in my veins turned to ice, then fire.

Those words. That history.

My deepest, most private wound.

Virginia had told him everything.

Something inside me snapped. I lunged for Jeremy, fist raised—

Crack.

The slap echoed through the room.

I stood frozen, staring at Virginia. She'd struck me.

"Rudolph, are you done?" Her voice was glacial. "Jeremy and I are meeting his parents today. Stop making a scene."

Her face was carved from ice. That cold, merciless expression shattered whatever love I had left.

I let out a mocking laugh and walked out of the private room in a daze.

Just then, my daughter came running in, calling out cheerfully, "Mommy! Daddy!"

Virginia panicked, terrified of being exposed. She shoved Nora away hard.

"Where did this brat come from? Running around calling strangers her parents!"

Nora wasn't expecting it. She fell hard, her head striking the wall. A dark red trail of blood trickled down.

I froze for a split second, then lunged forward like a man possessed, scooping her into my arms. My hand came away wet with warm blood from the back of her head.

Virginia stood there, paralyzed, then stumbled toward us, trying to see how bad it was.

I whipped around, eyes bloodshot, voice raw and cracked.

"If anything happens to Nora, I will never let either of you go."

I didn't wait for a response. I grabbed my daughter and rushed to the hospital.

After the doctor finished bandaging the wound, Nora lay asleep in the hospital bed.

Virginia arrived soon after, heels clicking urgently down the corridor.

Her face was tight with anxiety. She grabbed my arm, fingers digging in.

"Is she okay? Where is she?"

I gave her one cold, scathing look and said nothing.

Her eyes reddened. Tears spilled down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to push her. It's all my fault."

From inside the room came a small, fragile voice.

"Daddy... Mommy..."

Virginia rushed in, crying as she apologized.

"Nora, I'm so sorry. Mommy shouldn't have pushed you. Can you forgive me?"

My daughter reached up with her little hand and gently wiped the tears from Virginia's face.

"Mommy, I forgive you! Grandma and Grandpa are coming home tomorrow—will you eat dinner with us?"

Virginia went still. Guilt flooded her features. She nodded, hard.

Then Nora reached for me too, flashing her adorable little tiger teeth in a smile.

"When I'm with Mommy and Daddy, it doesn't hurt at all anymore."

My nose stung. I took her small hand in mine.

Even when she was the one who'd been hurt, she was always so understanding. It broke my heart.

The next day, Virginia and I drove to the airport to pick up her parents, who were returning from overseas.

She hesitated for a long time in the car. Finally, she said softly, "I'm sorry."

She was apologizing for what happened in that private room.

I thought of those cutting words. That slap across my face.

I said nothing.

My mother died giving birth to me.

I grew up under a cloud of vicious insults and cruel laughter.

That was why I fell for Virginia—the woman who chose me, every single time, without hesitation.

Once we were together, I gave her everything I had.

When she crashed her car, I stayed at her bedside day and night, praying she'd pull through.

When she took over the company and lost a major client, I swallowed my pride and begged the partner to give her another chance.

When my father passed away, I merged my company into Henson Group. I handed over everything I had, willingly, gladly.

So when she turned my deepest pain into a joke for Jeremy's amusement—that was when something inside me shattered.

The people closest to you always know exactly where to twist the knife.

The car was silent. Neither of us spoke again.

After we brought her parents home, Virginia cooked dinner herself—a whole table full of dishes.

I made up an excuse to explain the wound on Nora's head.

The family sat together, laughing and talking, the picture of warmth.

Nora curled up in Virginia's lap, giggling, her face glowing with happiness.

Then came a knock at the door.

Elena Brooks opened it. Jeremy stood there holding a stack of documents.

He swept his gaze around the room with a smile, then let it settle on Virginia's face.

"Ginny, you said you'd give me forty percent of Harding Group. Let's sign the papers now."

His smile widened.

"After what Rudolph put my parents through yesterday, I think this is fair compensation. I'm willing to accept."

I shot to my feet, barely containing my rage as I confronted Virginia.

"You're giving Harding Group shares to Jeremy?"

My father-in-law set down his chopsticks, his expression turning grave.

"Virginia, what's going on here?"

A flicker of panic crossed Virginia's eyes, but she quickly composed herself.

"After that scene you caused in the private room yesterday, Jeremy's parents were so shaken that his father's blood pressure spiked and his mother nearly had a heart attack."

"Jeremy's been working so hard to make it in the city all on his own. Giving him a few shares as compensation is the least we can do."

My fists clenched tighter, fury building in my chest.

"That's my family's company. You're just handing it over without even asking me?"

Virginia's face hardened.

"You signed Harding Group over to me years ago. How I choose to distribute it is my business. You have no say in this."

I stared at her, and suddenly the woman I'd loved for over a decade felt like a complete stranger.

My in-laws watched the scene unfold, about to interject, when Jeremy set down another document with that infuriating grin of his.

"Rudolph, Virginia's been with you for so long—she's bored of you."

"Since everyone's here, let me just lay it all out."

"Virginia's carrying my child. When are you going to step aside?"

The living room went dead silent.