Chapter 1

On the day of my son's tenth birthday party, my younger brother posted on his social media.

He was holding my son's hand with one arm and had his other arm around my wife's waist. He looked incredibly happy.

"Being surrounded by the people I love most... this is what true happiness feels like," the caption read.

I left a comment right under the post. "Since you love them so much, you can have them both."

A second later, my phone rang. It was my wife.

"Nathaniel Sterling! What is wrong with you?" Vivian screamed. "Why are you starting drama on Xavier's post? You know he suffers from severe depression!"

When my son, Leo, finally came home, he kicked me hard in the shin.

"I hate you, Dad!" he yelled. "You're a bully! You made Uncle Xavier cry!"

My heart turned to ice. I didn't argue. I just threw their bags out and pushed them toward the door.

"From this moment on, I'm done with both of you. We're finished!"

1

Along with Vivian and Leo, I threw a signed set of divorce papers out the door.

This wasn't a heat-of-the-moment decision. It was the result of a heart that had finally been pushed too far.

Today was my son's birthday. My wife had offered to pick him up from school early.

"Leo loves slow-roasted herb chicken," she told me before she left. "Make sure you don't mess it up."

I spent hours in the kitchen. My fingers were red and sore from prepping the fresh ingredients.

I looked at the feast on the table, waiting for them to come home.

I remembered Leo saying last month that he wanted the new Technic Lego set.

I placed the gift right by the front door so it would be the first thing he saw.

But seven o'clock came and went. Then eight o'clock. There was no sign of them.

I called Vivian over and over, but she didn't pick up.

Half an hour later, I saw Xavier's post.

They were at The Grand Sapphire Hotel. My parents were there, too. All five of them were smiling in a perfect family photo.

One photo in particular felt like a knife to the chest.

Xavier was holding my son's hand and leaning into my wife. They looked like the perfect little family.

I realized then that in this family, I was the only outsider.

I was the biological son who had been lost for years. My foster parents died young, and I grew up in a harsh orphanage.

I worked my way through a top university on my own.

It was only by pure luck that my biological father found me and brought me back when I was twenty.

Back then, I was still desperate for their love.

But I was wrong. Because Xavier was already there.

Years ago, Xavier's biological mother had swapped us at the hospital.

I was sent to the countryside to suffer in poverty while he enjoyed my life.

To pay off her gambling debts, his mother even sold me to strangers.

If my foster parents hadn't taken me in, I don't know if I would have survived that darkness.

Even after being found, life wasn't easy. Xavier had stolen the love that was supposed to be mine.

Suddenly, the front door swung open. Vivian marched in, dragging a sobbing Leo behind her.

"Nathaniel, what is your problem now?" she barked. "Are you seriously throwing a tantrum because I took Leo to see his grandparents?"

"You know they don't like you. Do you want your son to be an outcast like you, too?"

I sat on the sofa, expressionless. I didn't care what she said anymore.

Leo noticed the Lego set by the door. He wiped his tears and picked it up.

"Is this my present, Dad?" he asked, his voice full of disdain. "It's not as cool as the one Uncle Xavier got me."

Vivian finally noticed the party decorations and the cold food on the table.

She looked slightly guilty for a split second, but her voice remained sharp.

"Fine, Nate. Stop being so sensitive. We'll take Leo out for late-night burgers at midnight to celebrate again. Just drop the attitude."

She started scraping the food I had spent hours cooking into the trash.

She thought I was just acting out like usual. She didn't realize I was serious this time.

"Put the plates down," I said coldly. "Take Leo and leave. Vivian, I want a divorce."

Being in this relationship was like a slow death.

Leaving now was the only way I could save myself.

Vivian slammed a plate onto the table and put her hands on her hips.

"You're doing this because you're jealous of Xavier, aren't you? He's dying, Nathaniel! He has kidney failure and needs dialysis every day!"

"He can't get married or have kids like a normal man. What is so wrong with Leo and me giving him some company?"