Chapter 2

When we arrived home, Lauren took Mason and Cayden upstairs while I stayed downstairs, forcing myself to calm down for half an hour.

The moment I walked through the door, I found her feeding Cayden strawberry tips.

"Have a few of these to hold you over, Cayden. I'll make you something nutritious later so you can get your strength back. Your arm is already bruised from the blood draw. Seeing it just breaks my heart."

Afterward, she casually tossed the half-eaten strawberries onto Mason's plate.

My heart clenched at the sight.

All the moments I had overlooked in the past suddenly came flooding back.

Lauren had always favored Cayden. I had repeatedly asked her to treat the boys equally, but she never listened. I assumed she spoiled him because he was the younger one, so I didn't make an issue of it.

But the truth was, she loved Cayden more because he was another man's son.

If she showed such blatant favoritism over little things, there was no telling what else she had done when it came to anything important.

That night, I waited until Lauren was asleep before entering the study.

Her computer password was easy to guess. It was Cayden's birthday.

Two folders sat on the desktop, one for each boy.

When I opened Mason's folder, I found only a handful of photos. Frowning, I clicked on Cayden's folder next.

The computer froze for several seconds before the screen filled with countless meticulously organized files. They documented every competition Cayden had entered, every award he had received, and all the plans Lauren had made to secure his future.

The stark contrast between the two folders made my blood boil.

The most recent file contained a group photo of Cayden wearing a uniform at an overseas summer camp.

Last month, Lauren had asked me for 50,000 dollars. Since it wasn't a small amount, I asked what she needed it for, but she snapped impatiently, "We work hard so our kids can experience the world! Can't you spare your sons this opportunity?"

I gave her the money, never realizing that she would spend every cent on Cayden.

That same day, Mason had remained in the city because Lauren had enrolled him in a life-skills class where he was taught household chores.

I drew a deep breath, continued scrolling, and clicked on a video that hadn't been placed in a folder yet.

Cayden sat proudly on a horse while Mason ran alongside him. Mason's little legs pumped as fast as they could, but he still couldn't keep up with Cayden's pony.

Once Cayden grew tired of playing, he tossed the riding crop at Mason.

"You lost, so you can't come back to my house today!" he said.

Mason replied timidly, "But it's my house, too."

Lauren's voice came from behind the camera, "You're the older brother. You should be setting an example, not competing with Cayden over everything! The house is in Cayden's name, so it belongs to him. You're only living there because he lets you. Do you understand?"

I froze as a terrible realization struck me.

Rushing to the safe, I pulled out the property deeds and discovered that both homes were now registered in Cayden's name.

My mother had passed away two years ago, leaving me our current home and a smaller house in a decent school district. Lauren and I had agreed that each boy would receive one of the properties when they became adults.

Behind my back, however, she had transferred both properties to Cayden.

My hands trembled uncontrollably. The more I thought about everything Mason had endured, the more my eyes burned with tears.

Just then, a notification chimed on my phone, interrupting my thoughts.

The post had been updated again.

Despite the flood of angry comments, Gregory wrote, "Say whatever you want. I'm going to see my son tomorrow. I'm taking my son and my childhood friend's wife on a camping date. He can stay home and take care of that idiot son of his!"

I gripped my phone tightly as my mind reeled.