Chapter 1

Vera and I had been married for forty years, living a calm, respectful life.

Everyone in Seattle thought we were the happiest couple around.

Until Vera was diagnosed with terminal cancer at seventy years old.

On her deathbed, she finally confessed a dark secret to me.

"Carter, Mason and Liam aren't your biological sons."

"Kyle Lucas is their real father. I'm sorry for lying to you for all these years."

My mind went completely blank.

I spent forty years pouring my heart into raising two boys who weren't even mine.

"No wonder... No wonder you always refused to have another baby with me."

"You tricked me into raising another man's kids for forty whole years!"

Vera waved her frail hand in annoyance. "They still called you Dad, didn't they?"

"Just step aside. I want them to reunite with their real father before I die."

1

Standing by the hospital bed, I stared at Vera.

There wasn't a shred of guilt or remorse in her eyes.

"Carter, I could have taken this secret to the grave, but Kyle will have nothing after I'm gone."

"I just want them to finally be a real family."

"You loved me, and you had me for forty years. You should be satisfied."

I was stunned.

I never imagined she could be so heartless.

She never married me because she loved me.

She only wanted a reliable fool to raise Kyle's children.

What did that make me?

I worked myself half to death building an empire for this family.

In the end, they were just playing me for a fool all along.

Now Vera was dying, and I was battling a serious illness myself.

Once I was gone, wouldn't my entire family legacy fall into the hands of total outsiders?

I had spent my whole life building a fortune for the man she actually loved.

No wonder she was in such a rush to marry me back then.

She was already pregnant.

Kyle came from a broke background, and Vera's wealthy parents looked down on him.

A marriage between our two families had been the only acceptable option.

So that was the truth...

Right then, the door to the private suite was pushed open.

My eldest son, Mason, wheeled Kyle Lucas into the room, staring at me with cold indifference.

My younger son, Liam, couldn't even look me in the eye.

At seventy years old, my vision was growing dim, but my heart had never been clearer.

Look at them. They were the real family.

I was just an outsider.

Kyle stopped in front of me, glancing over at Vera on the bed.

"Carter, you've had Vera for forty years. You should be grateful."

"She doesn't have much time left. Let me stay and be by her side."

"We've been apart for too long. I want to walk with her to the very end."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips.

Looking at the two boys I had raised with my own hands, my heart turned to ice.

Seeing that I remained silent, Mason stepped forward and grabbed my arm, practically shoving me toward the door.

"Dad, in my heart, I've always treated you like my real father."

"Don't worry. Once you pass, Liam and I will take good care of the company."

Liam quickly chimed in. "Yeah, Dad, you'll always be our father!"

"You should just spend your remaining days resting and enjoying retirement, okay?"

What a brilliant scheme.

I might have been a fool in love, but I wasn't an idiot.

There was no way in hell I was handing my life's work to another man's bloodline.

I wasn't that generous.

I walked out of the hospital room alone.

Memories of the past flashed through my mind, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Our families had been close for generations.

Vera and I grew up together in the same elite circle.

Everyone assumed we were destined to be together.

Until high school, when she fell madly in love with Kyle, a poor kid from the wrong side of town.

That was when I backed off.

Back then, they were caught sneaking into a motel together, and her parents drove Kyle out of the city.

Her parents despised his background and tore them apart.

After that, Vera spiraled into depression, spending every night getting wasted at local clubs.

Then suddenly, one month, she stopped drinking.

She began seeking me out every single day, treating me with unprecedented warmth and affection.

"Carter, let's get married."

I was completely taken aback.

"What? Do you look down on me because I've been with someone else?"

I waved my hands frantically. "Of course not! But don't you love Kyle?"

Vera looked away with a guilty flicker in her eyes.

"He's in the past. We can never be together anyway."

"Just give me a straight answer. Yes or no?"

I agreed without hesitation because I loved her with everything I had.

It took only three days from making it official to tying the knot.

Her parents loved me and had approved of me since childhood.

A month after our wedding, Vera announced she was pregnant.

I treated her like a queen.

Little did I know, the baby belonged to another man.

She only chose me because she needed a rich sucker to clean up her mess.