Chapter 2

I jerked my head up and stared at Liam. My ears were ringing, and my mind had gone completely blank.

While I'd been working myself to the bone to give Rachel a better life, she had given birth to another man's child.

"What's wrong, Sam?"

I fell silent. When Liam saw the look on my face, his expression changed.

"We didn't get a divorce," I said shakily as I tightened my grip around my glass.

Upon hearing this, Liam froze. As he tried to process his shock, he found himself at a loss for words.

After a long pause, he suddenly remembered something. He fumbled for his phone and frantically tapped through the screen before handing the device to me.

"Look. This is her social media feed. Are you not able to see it?"

I took the phone from him and began scrolling through Rachel's posts. The more I saw, the heavier my heart became.

Five years ago, Rachel began filling her social media page with photos of herself and another man.

In the photos, the pair embraced each other beneath falling snow and kissed amid fireworks lighting up the night sky. They also traveled and wandered through unfamiliar cities together.

Two years later, her feed transformed into an online diary of her newborn child.

From the day their daughter was born, she began to document every moment of her life on social media.

I continued scrolling with trembling fingers, but she had posted an overwhelming number of photos. It was nearly impossible for me to go through everything.

A bitter smile tugged at my lips.

I felt sick to my stomach. The feeling was unbearable. I wanted to let it all out, but I couldn't. In the end, all that remained was a lingering feeling of bitterness that refused to fade.

After piecing everything together, Liam's face darkened with fury.

"So you never got a divorce?" he snapped, looking outraged. "You were working your ass off overseas to give Rachel the best life possible. Meanwhile, she was using your money to support another man? She even gave birth to his child!"

I let out a self-mocking laugh.

I was quite possibly the stupidest man on the entire planet. She had me fooled for seven years. She'd played me for an absolute fool.

"What are you going to do now?" Liam asked.

I clenched my fists and forced myself to calm down. In a bitter voice, I declared, "I'll file for divorce and take back everything that's rightfully mine."

I was determined to take everything back. There was no way I'd let her get away with this unscathed.

…

After several rounds of drinks, I dragged my exhausted body home.

It had been a year since I last returned home. Back then, my company had just started to gain its footing. I had only managed to meet up with Rachel for a short while before I rushed back overseas. So, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary.

I repeatedly entered the passcode to the electronic lock, but each attempt was met with the same cold, mechanical voice.

"Incorrect passcode. Please try again."

After multiple failed attempts, the system automatically alerted the neighborhood security guard.

I was escorted away once again.

I showed the guard my marriage certificate and insisted that this was my home. But after he asked me a simple question, I found myself at a loss for words.

"If this is your home, why don't you know the passcode?" he asked.

I tried to come up with a suitable response, but I didn't know what I could possibly say.

Was I supposed to tell him that my wife had cheated on me?

I let out a wry laugh. In the end, I didn't say anything and got up to leave.

Just as I reached the entrance, I bumped into Rachel, who had hastily rushed over.

"Why didn't you just call me and ask for the passcode?" she asked. "What's gotten into you, Sam? You've been acting so distant ever since you came back."