The third time Adeline burst in to catch me in bed with another woman, I didn’t panic. I didn’t scramble to pull on my clothes or desperately try to explain myself like I did the first two times. Simon Franklin, the lead counsel for the Davis Group, stood at the front of the room. “Mr. Max, this is the third instance of marital infidelity.” “According to the prenuptial agreement, you will leave with nothing—no assets, and you forfeit all custody rights to your daughter.” Adeline had long since lost her patience. Her eyes were filled with pure, cold hatred as she looked at me. She threw the divorce papers onto the table in front of me. “The first time, you claimed you didn’t even know the woman.” “The second time, you said you had no idea how you ended up in that hotel room.” “Three strikes, Wayne. What’s your excuse this time?” She expected me to spin another clumsy lie. But I said nothing. I just quietly picked up the pen, signed my name on the dotted line, and prepared to vanish from her life forever. I just wonder… why is it that now, when I have finally given her exactly what she wanted—leaving with absolutely nothing, not even demanding to see our daughter—she is the one who goes completely mad? … Simon snatched the signed papers away immediately. As if terrified I would change my mind, he turned to Adeline and said, “It’s done, Mrs. Davis. He signed.” Adeline stared at me, her brow furrowed tight. She probably didn’t expect me to sign so easily. The last two times, I had torn the papers to shreds, falling to my knees until they bled, weeping and begging her: “For Hazel’s sake, please believe me just this once!” I capped the pen and set it down on the desk. “I’ll pack my things and clear out as soon as possible. As for visitation rights—” “You don’t deserve to be a father,” she interrupted, her voice heavy and dark. “You are never to see her again.” I didn’t look up. I just let out a soft, dry laugh. “I was actually about to say… I don’t want visitation rights either.” Adeline’s coldness didn’t waver, but her eyes lingered on me a fraction longer. She couldn’t fathom my sudden compliance. For the past four years, she and Hazel had been my entire world. I used to feel a pang of jealousy and sorrow whenever Hazel called Simon “Uncle Simon” instead of calling out for me. To give her up so easily now… it didn’t make sense. “Trash,” she sneered, finally finding a rationalization for my behavior. “Willing to abandon your own flesh and blood for whatever cheap thrill you’ve got waiting outside.” “What was the point of all your schemes to get into my bed back then? What was the point of forcing me to have that child?” I listened to her words, but the desire to defend myself had completely withered. The first time she caught me in a hotel room with another woman, I had been utterly disoriented. I had begged and pleaded, insisting I would never betray her. But she was always convinced I was obsessed with her wealth. And because the woman in question had fled, leaving only a blurry silhouette on the hotel’s security footage, Adeline chose to believe me—partially. Even so, she took Hazel away from me. I was allowed to see my daughter only once a month, and I had to schedule it a week in advance through Simon. During those visits, Simon hovered over us like a warden. If I held Hazel a moment too long, I had to watch his scowling face. I had to clear every toy and dress I bought for Hazel with Simon first, otherwise they would never reach her hands. My mental state deteriorated rapidly, and then came the second affair. I had taken a small part-time consulting job just to keep my mind busy. On a business trip, I woke up in a hotel room, completely drugged and confused, with a woman draped over me. I called the police myself. But the medical report came back showing no signs of assault, and the evidence was stacked against me. Adeline assumed I had simply been caught before I could finish the deed. After that, I was stripped of my right to attend Hazel’s preschool events. Whenever the school called, Adeline sent Simon. She told me to stay home and “stop embarrassing the family.” Even when Hazel pointed a finger at me and called me a “bad, cheating man,” Adeline just stood there, silent. Now, the third time… I was tired of this sick game. I was ready to let them have each other. And yet, she had the nerve to ask why I was giving up my own child? Simon stepped closer to her, lowering his voice. “Adeline, even though the prenup says he forfeits custody… in all my years of practice, I’ve never seen a father give up his kid this quickly.” “Wayne probably planned this long ago. Traveling light makes it easier to run around with his mistresses. Let him go. There’s no point in arguing.” He looked up at me, a brief, smug glint in his eyes. I let out a quiet chuckle. He seemed to have forgotten… Four years ago, he was the one who drafted that absurd prenuptial agreement, down to the exact clause about “three strikes of infidelity.” Adeline’s expression grew even colder. “You’d better mean what you say. Don’t come crawling back, begging on your knees.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked out. I watched her back, the corners of my mouth twitching into a bitter smile. I won’t, Adeline. Years ago, when I was trying to convince myself that marrying you was the right choice despite our differences, I visited every church and spiritual guide, and every sign pointed to ruin. Then I traveled to a remote chapel in the Swiss Alps, spending a day and a night on my knees, praying until I found a passage that gave me hope: “Love bears all things, believes all things.” I thought it was a divine blessing. It turned out to be a curse. This time, my knees will never bend for you again. Simon looked at me, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. “Well, Wayne, they say a night of passion is worth gold. We won’t keep you from your companion.” The door clicked shut, and the room fell silent once more. I looked down at the woman still fast asleep on the bed. A wave of deep disgust rose in my chest. I had woken up before her. I could have slipped away before they arrived to catch us. But I was just so tired of being the mouse in their cat-and-mouse game. I threw on my coat and walked out without looking back. The next evening, I went back to the estate to pack my things. When I opened the master bedroom, I found all my clothes and personal belongings completely gone. The housekeeper hovered in the doorway, unable to look me in the eye. “Mr. Max, your things… they were moved to the backyard storage shed. Mr. Franklin said… he said the master bedroom needs to be cleared out immediately for its new master.” I smiled faintly. Four years of marriage, and I wasn’t even allowed a decent departure. I walked out to the drafty storage shed in the backyard. Inside, cardboard boxes and plastic bags were piled high, haphazardly thrown together. I knelt on the dusty floor, digging through them one by one. The clothes didn’t matter. But I had to find my mother’s silver locket. It was a piece my grandmother had passed down to my mother, and my mother had given to me… The only thing in this entire place that actually belonged to me. Finally, I found it at the very bottom of a crushed box. I clutched it in my palm, letting out a long, shuddering breath. As I began pulling a few sweaters into a duffel bag, a small, shrill voice spoke from the doorway. “What are you doing?” I turned. Hazel stood there, her small frame blocking the exit. She looked so much like Adeline, but she had assumed the exact same haughty, arms-crossed posture as Simon. “Getting my things,” I said softly, returning to my packing. Usually, when I saw her, I would swallow my pride and shower her with hugs and kisses, even if she squirmed away in disgust. But this time, I felt nothing but a quiet, hollow stillness. “Those aren’t your things.” Seeing that I wasn’t pleading with her, she marched inside. She stomped her muddy shoe right onto one of my shirts scattered on the floor. “Uncle Simon said everything in this house belongs to Mommy. You’re not allowed to take anything.” My hands paused. “These are my personal belongings, Hazel.” “You bought them with Mommy’s money,” she said, putting her hands behind her back. “Mommy’s money belongs to the Davis family. Outsiders don’t get to take anything.” “Outsider.” I looked up at her. My four-year-old daughter was standing over me, looking at me as if I were a common thief. The coldness in her eyes was even sharper than her mother’s. “I’m only taking this,” I said, tightening my grip on the silver locket as I stood up. “The rest can stay.” “No!” She blocked the door, spreading her small arms wide. “You can’t steal from us!” “Hazel, step aside.” “I won’t!” she yelled. “You’re a thief! A dirty thief! Uncle Simon said once you leave, you’re never allowed back. Coming back makes you a robber!” A sharp throbbing started in my temples. “I’m telling you one last time, step aside.” “No! Give it to me!” She lunged forward, grabbing the velvet pouch containing the locket. I instinctively pulled back, but the cheap fabric tore. The silver locket slipped from my fingers, hitting the concrete floor with a sharp crack. I froze, staring at the shattered pieces of silver and glass. I remembered the day my mother had put it around my neck. She had said, “Wayne, this has been in our family for six generations. One day, you’ll pass it down to your own child…” It was the only piece of my history I had left. Six generations of love, shattered on a dirty concrete floor by my own daughter. Hazel stood back, muttering under her breath, “It’s your fault for not letting go…” My eyes burned as I stared at her. “Do you have any idea why your grandmother is in that care facility?” Hazel blinked, taking a step back. “I don’t have a grandmother. I only know about the money-wasting old lady…” The blood rushed to my ears, hot and deafening. “Uncle Simon said she lives in that fancy clinic using up Mommy’s money when she’s never going to get better anyway. She’s just a black hole for cash—” “Say that again.” My voice had dropped to a whisper. It sounded so hollow, so detached, I barely recognized it myself. Frightened by my expression, Hazel bit her lip but forced herself to sneer, “She’s just a money-wasting old lady, so what—ah!” I pushed her. Her foot caught on a box, and she fell backward, landing hard on her bottom. She sat there in shock for a second before letting out a piercing wail. “Mommy! Mommy!” I stood frozen, my hands trembling. Looking down at my screaming daughter, her words echoed in my head. “Money-wasting old lady.” That “money-wasting old lady” was my mother. Her grandmother. The woman who, despite barely recovering from major surgery, had spent weeks hand-knitting a baby blanket for Hazel’s first month. The woman who, every single year on Hazel’s birthday, would call from the rehabilitation center, asking the nurse to help her whisper, “Happy birthday, my sweet Hazel.” And my daughter called her a black hole for cash. A sharp piece of the broken silver sliced into my palm. The physical pain cleared my head. Adeline burst into the shed, seeing her daughter crying on the floor. She knelt down and gathered her into her arms. “Hazel, sweetie, what happened?” Hazel buried her face in Adeline’s neck, sobbing hysterically. “Mommy, he pushed me! Make him leave! I want Uncle Simon…” Adeline held her tight, looking up at me. Her eyes were filled with icy disgust. “Wayne, have you lost your mind? Putting your hands on a child!” “I didn’t hit her,” I said, my voice barely audible. “I only pushed her.” “Is there a difference?” I looked down at the broken locket in my bleeding hand. “Yes,” I said. “Hitting her would be a father trying to discipline his child. Pushing her was simply what she deserved.” Adeline stared at me, stunned. She looked down at Hazel. Hazel whimpered, her crying dying down to a sullen mutter. “But I was just telling the truth… Uncle Simon said that old lady is just wasting Mommy’s money…” Adeline rubbed her temples. “She’s a child, Wayne. Why are you picking a fight with a four-year-old?” She glanced at me coldly. “Simon manages our family accounts now. He was speaking from a purely financial perspective, and Hazel overheard him. Don’t blow this out of proportion.” “You have no idea how much stress he takes off my shoulders running this estate.” She looked at the broken silver locket in my hand. Perhaps sensing my genuine despair, her tone softened slightly. “I brought Hazel here today so we could talk. But… we shouldn’t mention the divorce to her yet. It’s not good for her development.” I didn’t say a word. Talk? About what? In four years of marriage, the total time she and Hazel spent speaking to me didn’t even equal half of the time she spent whispering with Simon. Back in college, she was the one who pursued me. She was the one who made me fall for her, step by step. She made me believe we had a future, even when everyone else said our worlds were too far apart. I had prayed, hoped, and fought so hard just to believe we stood a chance. Even without the unexpected pregnancy that forced our hands, I had been building up the courage to propose, to bridge the gap between her wealthy family and my modest one. Now, I was glad I never got the chance to say those words. My mother was still in the care facility, waiting for me to visit. Thinking of her, I grabbed my duffel bag and walked out of the shed. In the living room, Simon was kneeling in front of Hazel, softly comforting her. I walked past them without looking. Behind me, Hazel suddenly let out another loud sob. “Why is that bad man ignoring me!” She stomped her foot, furious and confused. She was so used to me running to her with tears in my eyes whenever she threw a tantrum, begging, “I’m sorry, sweetie, Daddy was wrong.” To be met with absolute indifference made her feel slighted. Adeline said nothing, but I could feel the heat of her glare on my back. I didn’t stop. Just as I reached for the front door, her voice exploded through the foyer. “Stop right there!” I paused. “Get over here and apologize to Hazel,” she commanded. “You pushed her, and you terrified her.” I stood still for a moment. Realizing this would likely be the last time I would ever have to deal with them, I decided to end the arguments. I walked back and knelt down in front of Hazel. “I’m sorry,” I said, looking into her eyes one last time. “Daddy shouldn’t have pushed you.” Hazel sniffled, and then, without warning, she spat directly at my face. The warm, wet saliva trickled down my cheek. “Dirty man,” she whispered in her sweet, high-pitched voice. “You deserve it.” Adeline watched, her expression completely detached. “You’ve been running around with other women. Even your own daughter can’t stand the sight of you.” I slowly raised my hand, wiping my cheek. I laughed. “Running around?” These setup affairs were so incredibly clumsy. Did she honestly not see the gaping holes in the stories? Or did she see them and simply choose to ignore them? If she wanted to believe it, let her. “For four years, Adeline, you and Simon have acted like a married couple in front of everyone.” “You practically let him raise my daughter. Tell me, who is the one crossing lines here?” “We’re getting divorced. Can we at least stop lying to ourselves?” Simon’s face went completely pale. His eyes welled with tears instantly. “Wayne, how can you accuse me of such a thing? Adeline, I…” “Wayne, it’s been four years! Have you not thrown enough tantrums?” Adeline’s gaze locked onto me, burning with rage. “Fine. Since you’re so convinced we’re dirty—” She marched over, grabbing my arm, and dragged me toward the bedroom. The moment the door slammed shut, she grabbed a silk scarf from the dresser, bound my wrists tightly, and shoved me to the floor. Then she turned, pulling Simon into her arms, holding him close. “Do you want me, Simon?” Simon gasped, but quickly wrapped his arms around her waist, whispering, “Adeline, I’ve waited so long for this…” They fell onto the bed, shedding their clothes in a frantic, desperate rush. I thrashed against the binding, my voice cracking as I forced the words out of my throat: “Adeline, we are getting a divorce! You can do whatever you want tomorrow! Why do you have to humiliate me like this right now?” She paused, her fingers wrapping tightly around my chin, forcing me to look at her. “Humiliate you? Wayne, do you honestly think you still have any dignity left to lose in my eyes?” “Adeline, don’t let him ruin the moment…” Simon wrapped himself around her from behind, breathing softly against her neck. She let go of my jaw, turning back into his embrace. I closed my eyes, silent tears slipping down my temples. Suddenly, my phone—which had fallen out of my pocket onto the carpet—began to vibrate violently. It was my mother’s number. I struggled against the silk binding, barely reaching the screen with my fingers to swipe answer. But it wasn’t my mother. It was a panicked nurse on the other end: “Mr. Max! You need to get to the clinic immediately! Your mother somehow found out about the divorce. She thinks she’s a burden to you… she’s climbed up to the roof—” “What?” “She said… “static”—” Before she could finish, the call cut out with a sharp screech of static. My heart stopped. “Adeline!” I screamed, my voice cracking. “My mother is in danger! Let me go, please, I’m begging you, let me go!” She glanced back at me, a cruel, mocking smile on her lips. “What’s the matter, Wayne? Didn’t you want to watch? Now you’re making up cheap stories to escape?” “I’m not making it up! The clinic just called! My mother knows we’re divorcing, she’s going to jump—” “Enough,” she said, sitting up. “We just signed the papers. How could she possibly know?” “And even if she did, you’re the one who told her, knowing she couldn’t take the stress. Who else is to blame?” She turned back to Simon. I thrashed against the silk scarf, screaming, “Adeline! I swear I didn’t tell her! Just let me go, there’s still time!” “She was hit by that truck saving you and Hazel! Please, don’t play with her life…” “Wayne!!!” Adeline’s voice was dripping with exhaustion and disgust. “Is your mother your permanent hostage? Every time you get caught cheating, you either use Hazel to beg for pity, or you throw your mother’s sacrifice in my face!” “I’m not lying—” Tears blinded my vision. “Please, this is real, I beg you…” Simon wrapped his arms around her waist. “Adeline, everyone knows his mother only jumped in front of that truck because she wanted to save her granddaughter. If it had just been you, she wouldn’t have lifted a finger. You’ve already paid for her medical bills all these years. You owe them nothing.” “Come on, don’t let him ruin this…” The last shred of hesitation in Adeline’s eyes vanished. Realizing she would never believe me, I scrambled toward the door, throwing my weight against it. My forehead slammed hard into the solid wood, splitting the skin. She marched over, grabbing me by my collar, and threw me back onto the carpet. “Wayne!” “You wanted to accuse us? Then you’re going to sit here and watch every single second of it.” She grabbed a roll of packing tape from the desk and sealed it over my mouth. Then she dragged me across the floor, shoving me into the dark walk-in closet. “Listen closely. Since you wanted to know what ‘dirty’ really sounds like!” The closet door slammed shut, and the lock clicked. The final sliver of light disappeared. In the suffocating darkness, I was forced to listen to the sounds of their betrayal. Over and over again The next afternoon, Adeline returned home from a business dinner. Standing in the quiet living room, she rubbed her temples, calling out out of habit: “Wayne, I have a headache. Make me some tea.” No one answered. She frowned, turning to the housekeeper. “Where is Wayne?” The housekeeper looked confused. “Ma’am, I was actually going to ask you the same thing.” “Hazel came down with a fever this morning, screaming for her father. It reached 102 degrees. And… the hospital called. They said Mr. Max’s mother jumped from the roof last night. Her body is at the morgue, but… nobody has come to claim her.” Adeline froze. “What did you say?” A sudden, cold dread gripped her throat. “Did… did you not let him out?” The housekeeper stared back blankly. “Let… let him out of where?” Adeline bolted up the stairs, her heart hammering against her ribs. She threw open the walk-in closet door—
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