My father felt guilty that I had secretly loved Benjamin Jameson for ten years, so he took matters into his own hands.

He drugged his old friend and sent him to my bed.

When Benjamin woke up, he looked at me with nothing but coldness. For the sake of our families, he agreed to marry me.

I thought I had finally gotten the man I loved.

But after our wedding, Benjamin began leaving the country for business trips. One trip became three years of absence.

During those years, I gave birth to our daughter, Esther Jameson, and waited for him to return.

When I heard he was finally coming back, I skipped an important event and rushed to the airport with Esther in my arms.

The moment she saw him, she reached out excitedly.

"Daddy, hug me."

Benjamin only stepped back and said coldly, "Sorry. I have mysophobia."

From that day on, Esther and I washed our hands repeatedly whenever we touched anything. I kept our home spotless, hoping he would finally come back.

But he never did.

He never held his daughter.

Until one day, I saw a video of him being asked, "Ben, what is the happiest moment of your life?"

He smiled and answered, "Probably last week overseas. When I put Jessica to sleep, then pulled Cynthia into the bathroom."

Everyone around him laughed.

But I froze.

Cynthia was his ex-girlfriend, the woman he had never truly forgotten.

Jessica was her daughter.

The rumors were true.

For three years, while I waited for him at home, Benjamin had been living with Cynthia and her child overseas.

My heart finally went cold.

I left the divorce agreement behind, took Esther with me, canceled our identities, and disappeared abroad.

This time, I would no longer wait for Benjamin Jameson to come back.

——

The nanny picked Esther up from kindergarten that afternoon.

The moment she saw me, my daughter burst into tears. Her eyes were swollen from crying.

"Mommy..." she choked out. "Do I not have a daddy?"

My heart tightened.

"Daddy promised he would come to my parent-teacher meeting today. But when he arrived, he told everyone he was Jessica's daddy instead."

"Mommy, they all said I don't have a father..."

Her voice broke as she cried harder.

I hugged her tightly, my eyes burning with tears.

I wanted to comfort her.

But when I thought of Benjamin's cold expression and the way he looked at Jessica with warmth he had never shown Esther, I couldn't say a single word.

I had been wrong.

I thought after three years apart, Benjamin would finally understand what mattered.

I thought he would return to us.

But he didn't come back for me.

He came back because Cynthia wanted him to.

For Cynthia, he bought a plane ticket immediately, arranged everything, and even transferred Jessica to the best kindergarten.

Yet for his own daughter, he had never done anything.

The day I went to the airport to meet him, Esther had dressed up carefully.

She held my hand and asked nervously, "Mommy, will Daddy like me?"

I smiled and reassured her.

"Of course. You're Daddy's only daughter."

But when we arrived, the scene in front of us shattered that hope.

Benjamin was there.

But he wasn't alone.

He was holding Cynthia's hand while carrying Jessica in his arms.

The three of them looked like the family he had always wanted.

Esther and I stood there, frozen.

Benjamin only glanced at us briefly.

"Sorry. I need to take care of Cynthia and Jessica first. You two go home."

He didn't even look at Esther.

But when he looked at Jessica, his eyes softened with a tenderness I had never seen.

I closed my eyes, feeling the last bit of hope inside me disappear.

"I'm sorry, Esther," I whispered later that night. "It's Mommy's fault."

"Next time, Mommy will go to your parent-teacher meeting."

After washing her face, I finally managed to coax her to sleep.

But even in her dreams, her small brows remained tightly furrowed.

"Daddy... hold me..."

Those words cut deeper than any knife.

If only that night three years ago had never happened, maybe Esther would not have grown up feeling unwanted.

Three years ago, my father couldn't bear to watch me hide my love for Benjamin for ten years.

So he made a decision without my permission.

He drugged Benjamin Jameson and sent him to my room.

I was horrified.

"Dad, what are you doing? Are you trying to ruin my life?"

He only sighed.

"I've known for years that you love Benjamin. And I know he has feelings for you too. That boy just refuses to admit it."

"That night, when he was drunk, I even heard him call your name."

"I was tired of watching you two waste time. Since you both care about each other, why not make it happen?"

I tried to resist.

But before I could do anything, a strange heat spread through my body.

My father smiled faintly.

"I added something to your drink too."

"Just accept this night."

Then he closed the door from the outside, leaving me trapped with the man I had loved for ten years.

When Benjamin woke up the next morning, the first thing he said was not an apology.

He looked at me with a cold, distant expression and said, "Jocelyn Stevens, I will take responsibility. I will marry you."

At that moment, I thought all the pain I had endured was finally worth it.

I thought the man I loved had finally chosen me.

I thought our story was about to begin.

But that illusion shattered soon after.

A few days later, at a gathering with Benjamin's friends, I accidentally overheard their conversation.

"Ben, you should consider yourself lucky," his friend said with a laugh. "Jocelyn is beautiful, wealthy, and she loves you more than anyone. What else are you looking for? Just marry her and settle down."

The room went quiet for a moment.

Then I heard Benjamin laugh softly.

It was a cold, mocking laugh.

"Honestly, I did have some feelings for her in the beginning."

My heart skipped a beat.

But his next words froze my entire body.

"I just never expected her to be that kind of woman."

His voice was filled with disgust.

"Drugging me and forcing herself on me that night… Every time I think about it, I feel sick."

My fingers tightened around the edge of the door.

I stood there, unable to move.

I wanted to rush in and tell him the truth. I wanted to explain that I had never drugged him. That everything had been a misunderstanding. That I had loved him for years and would never hurt him.

But before I could find the courage, Benjamin had already received his visa.

Two weeks later, he left the country.

Without giving me a chance to explain.

Without looking back.

But that one night changed my entire life.

Because I was left with a child.

I gave birth to my daughter, Esther, alone.

During those long months, I held onto one hope.

Benjamin would come back.

When he returned, everything would get better.

Esther would finally have a father.

And our family would finally be complete.

But reality gave me the cruelest answer.

Benjamin came back, but he didn't come back to us.

He came back to Cynthia and her daughter.

The villa was silent that evening.

I sat on the sofa, staring at my phone screen.

Benjamin had been gone for so long that I had already memorized the time difference between us.

I was just about to call him and ask when he would arrive home.

Then the front door opened.

Benjamin walked in.

He looked exactly the same as he had before he left.

Calm.

Indifferent.

As if nothing between us had ever changed.

His eyes briefly landed on Esther, who was sleeping peacefully on the couch.

Then he casually removed his coat and said,

"Jessica is coming over tomorrow."

I looked up at him.

"What?"

"You and Esther should go out for the day."

I stared at him in disbelief.

Benjamin noticed my expression and smiled faintly.

"Jessica is possessive. She doesn't like seeing another little girl calling me Daddy."

For a moment, I couldn't believe what I had just heard.

Then I laughed.

A quiet, bitter laugh.

"Benjamin."

My voice trembled.

"Do you even remember who your real daughter is?"

His expression darkened.

"Jocelyn."

"Do you know what happened to Esther at kindergarten today?"

Before I could finish, he interrupted me.

"I don't need you to remind me."

His tone was impatient.

"I'm sorry about what happened today, but Jessica also had a parent-teacher meeting. Cynthia and her ex-husband are divorced. She's raising Jessica alone. She can't handle everything by herself."

I looked at him silently.

Then I heard the words that hurt me the most.

"Before I met you, I promised Cynthia that I would never let her suffer."

Benjamin looked at me as if he was explaining something obvious.

"I married you, didn't I? I gave you what you wanted."

"So you have no right to stop me from taking care of them."

His voice softened slightly.

"This is something I owe them."

Something I owed them.

I lowered my eyes.

So in his heart, Cynthia and Jessica were the people he needed to protect.

And me?

The woman who waited for him.

The woman who gave birth to his child.

The woman who spent years loving him.

I was just the person who got what I wanted.

After saying that, Benjamin threw his coat aside and walked into the bathroom.

Soon, the sound of running water filled the house.

It covered my quiet sobs.

At that moment, I finally understood.

If I had known that marrying Benjamin would bring me this kind of life, I would rather have never held onto that night.

I would rather have let go from the beginning.

I looked down at the divorce agreement I had just finished writing.

I had planned to leave him long ago.

But because of Esther, I hesitated.

I didn't want my daughter to grow up without a father.

I didn't want her to experience the same loneliness I had once felt.

So I gave this marriage one last chance.

But Benjamin had already made his choice.

And now, I had to make mine.

The next morning, Esther woke up and heard that her father had returned.

Her eyes instantly lit up.

"Mommy! Daddy is home?"

She jumped out of bed excitedly.

"I want to show Daddy my painting!"

Children were always the easiest to forgive.

Despite everything that happened at kindergarten the day before, Esther still loved her father.

She still believed Benjamin loved her.

Holding the painting she had spent an entire week making, she ran downstairs happily.

But the moment she stepped into the living room, her smile froze.

Cynthia was sitting there.

And beside her was Jessica.

Benjamin was sitting next to Jessica, carefully peeling an orange for her.

The scene looked like a perfect family.

Esther stood there quietly.

Then she asked in a small voice,

"Daddy... who are they?"

Benjamin immediately frowned when he saw her.

"Why are you still here?"

His first words were not "I missed you."

Not "Come here, Daddy wants to hug you."

Only blame.

"Where's your mother?"

Esther's small body stiffened.

She lowered her head, then slowly raised the painting in her hands.

"Daddy..."

"I drew this for you."

"It's a family portrait."

"I spent a whole week making it. I wanted to give it to you when you came home."

Her eyes were filled with expectation.

She carefully held the painting toward him.

But before Benjamin could take it, another small hand grabbed it.

Jessica looked at the drawing for a few seconds.

Then she laughed.

"What a stupid picture."

Before anyone could react, she tore it apart.

Rip.

The sound of paper splitting echoed through the living room.

Esther froze.

Her little hands slowly dropped.

Jessica raised her chin proudly.

"He's my daddy."

She stepped closer and looked at Esther arrogantly.

"All the kids at school say you're a fatherless child."

"Who gave you permission to call my daddy yours?"

Then she pushed Esther hard.

My daughter's small body fell backward.

And at that moment, something inside me completely broke.

The moment I saw Esther fall to the ground, my heart stopped.

My daughter burst into tears, her small hands clutching the torn pieces of her drawing as if she were trying to hold onto the last bit of happiness she had created for her father.

I rushed forward and pulled her into my arms.

"Esther."

She buried her face against me, crying so hard that her little shoulders trembled.

I gently helped her stand, then turned my cold gaze toward Jessica.

"Apologize."

My voice was calm.

But there was no room for negotiation.

Benjamin's expression immediately darkened.

"Jocelyn, are you seriously being this harsh toward a child?"

He stepped forward and picked Jessica up without hesitation.

Not my daughter.

Not the child who was crying in front of him.

Jessica.

"I already explained this to you last night," Benjamin said impatiently.

"Jessica doesn't like hearing another child call me Daddy. She was just upset. She didn't mean to push Esther."

I looked at him in disbelief.

"She didn't mean to?"

I pointed at the torn drawing on the floor.

"You saw everything that happened."

My voice grew colder.

"Benjamin, she just called Esther a bastard."

The word made my chest ache.

"Tell me."

"Is Esther really a bastard?"

For a moment, Benjamin didn't answer.

But instead of defending his daughter, instead of comforting the little girl whose heart he had just broken, he only looked away.

His silence hurt more than any answer.

Then Cynthia stepped forward.

Her expression was gentle and apologetic, the perfect image of a considerate woman.

"Miss Stevens, I'm really sorry."

"Jessica grew up abroad, so she's a little more direct than other children. She doesn't mean any harm. She just says whatever is on her mind."

She smiled softly.

"Please don't take a child's words too seriously."

But the little girl in Benjamin's arms only became more arrogant.

She lifted her chin proudly.

"I didn't say anything wrong!"

"Everyone at school says it."

"Esther is a bastard!"

She wrapped her arms around Benjamin's neck.

"She stole my daddy!"

My fingers slowly curled into fists.

For years, I had endured everything.

Benjamin always said he had severe cleanliness issues.

So I adjusted.

I kept my distance when he wanted space.

I respected his habits.

I never complained when he used overtime as an excuse to stay away from home.

Even when I sensed there was another woman beside him, I chose silence.

Because I loved him.

Because I believed one day he would understand.

But there was one thing I could never tolerate.

No one was allowed to hurt my daughter.

I looked directly at Benjamin.

"Ben."

"I'll ask you one last time."

My voice trembled slightly.

"Is Esther a bastard?"

A flash of annoyance crossed his face.

Instead of anger toward the person who hurt Esther, he became impatient with me.

"You know better than anyone how Esther became my daughter."

His words felt like a knife.

"Enough, Jocelyn."

"Jessica is here today. Don't ruin everyone's mood."

I stared at him.

The man standing before me was once the person I loved most.

But at that moment, he felt like a stranger.

Cynthia and Jessica stood beside him, unable to hide the satisfaction in their eyes.

Benjamin held Jessica tightly and gently stroked her hair.

"Don't be upset, Jessica."

"Daddy will buy you a new toy."

"And I'll get you that Elsa dress you wanted."

Jessica instantly smiled.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Watching the three of them leave together, I suddenly felt something inside me go completely silent.

No anger.

No jealousy.

No sadness.

Just exhaustion.

For years, I had been holding onto a marriage that only existed in my imagination.

I had been waiting for a man who had already stopped choosing me.

I looked down at Esther, who was still holding the broken pieces of her drawing.

Then I finally made the decision I had been afraid to make.

"Benjamin."

His footsteps stopped.

He turned around slowly.

"What?"

I took a deep breath.

The words I had rehearsed countless times finally left my mouth.

"Let's get a divorce."

The air froze.

Benjamin stared at me.

Then he laughed coldly.

"Jocelyn."

"Do you think this is funny?"

I didn't answer.

His expression became even colder.

"If you think threatening me with divorce will make me compromise, then fine."

"As you wish."

After saying that, he turned around.

And walked away.

Without hesitation.

Without looking back.

A trace of triumph flashed through Cynthia's eyes.

But she quickly covered it with a worried expression.

She walked toward me with a gentle smile.

"I'm really sorry."

"Benjamin and I are just friends."

"He's always been kind-hearted. He felt guilty because I divorced so young and Jessica had to grow up without a father figure."

She lowered her eyes.

"He just wanted to take care of us."

"Please don't misunderstand."

Before leaving, she even added my contact information.

"If Esther's drawing was damaged, I'll compensate for it."

Her tone sounded sincere.

But I could see the hidden satisfaction behind her smile.

"Cynthia."

Benjamin's voice came from not far away.

He was holding Jessica's hand.

"Come on."

Cynthia's eyes immediately lit up.

"Coming."

She walked quickly toward him.

I thought they had already left.

But then I heard their conversation.

"Benjamin, are you serious?"

Cynthia's voice was filled with surprise.

"Miss Stevens was just angry. How could you agree to divorce her so easily?"

A few seconds of silence passed.

Then Benjamin laughed.

A laugh full of confidence.

"She won't leave."

"She fought so hard to get this marriage."

"Do you really think she can give it up?"

He paused.

"She was just too harsh on Jessica today."

"Consider this a lesson for her."

"Give her some time."

"She'll come back and beg me."

I stood there quietly.

Listening to the man I once loved speak about me as if he knew me better than I knew myself.

Then I laughed.

A cold, quiet laugh.

Benjamin was wrong.

The woman who once chased after him.

The woman who swallowed every grievance because she loved him.

The woman who believed love could change everything.

She was gone.

I looked down at my daughter and gently held her hand.

For Esther, I would no longer cling to a man who refused to love her.

For Esther, I would walk away.

And this time, I would never look back.