Evangeline Kirk's POV

I had a crush on my Dad's much younger best friend, Issac Ritter, for ten years. My Daddy felt sorry for me, so he simply drugged Issac and sent him to my bed.

When Issac woke up, he coldly agreed to marry me.

But soon after our wedding, Issac had been abroad on frequent business trips, away for three whole years.

I gave birth to our daughter, Perla Ritter, alone, staying at home, waiting for his return.

When I learned he'd returned three years later, I skipped an important event, took Perla along, and went to meet him at the airport.

When Perla begged him to hold her, he looked at me indifferently and said, "Sorry, I'm a germaphobe."

After that, Perla and I washed our hands repeatedly. The floors at home were spotless. But he still never came back, and he never once hugged Perla.

My last fantasy was shattered when I saw a video. In it, someone had asked him, "Issac, what's the happiest thing that's happened to you lately?"

He answered casually, "Last week overseas, I put Alena to sleep, then pulled Marissa into the bathroom, and we..."

Amid the laughter and cheers around him, a chill ran through me.

Marissa Kemp was his ex-girlfriend, yet they still kept in touch. Alena was Marissa's daughter.

I'd heard rumors they'd been living together abroad for three years. And it turned out to be true.

All hope in me died that moment. I left a divorce agreement, took Perla, erased our old identity, and left the country.

***

The nanny picked my daughter, Perla Ritter, up from kindergarten, and Perla's eyes were swollen from crying.

"Mom, do I not have Daddy anymore?"

She spoke through her tears, her tone heavy with grievance.

"Daddy promised to come to my kindergarten parent-teacher meeting, but when he got there, he said he's Alena's Daddy," she sobbed.

"Mom, everyone says I had no Daddy..."

My chest ached sharply. I pulled Perla into my arms, my own eyes stinging with tears.

I wanted to say something to comfort her, but my husband, Issac Ritter's cold face flashed in my mind, and the words stuck in my throat.

I regretted it so much.

I'd thought that after waiting three years, Issac would finally come around and be willing to return to America and reunite with us.

But no. He'd only bought a plane ticket without hesitation, only arranged everything so quickly, because Marissa had said she wanted to come back.

He'd even transferred Marissa's daughter, Alena Kemp, to the best kindergarten in the city.

The day I took Perla to the airport to meet him, Perla had put on her prettiest dress, asking me nervously.

"Mom, will Daddy like me?"

I nodded. "Perla, you're Daddy's only little girl. Of course he will."

But when we arrived at the airport full of hope, what we saw made us freeze.

Issac was holding Marissa's hand, and in his other arm, he was carrying a three-year-old girl.

Issac glanced at me briefly, saying in a casual tone, "Sorry, I need to settle Marissa and Alena first. You two go home."

He didn't even spare Perla a look. Yet his gaze softened the moment it fell on Alena.

Just thinking about it made me close my eyes in despair.

"I'm so sorry, Perla. It's all my fault. Next time, I'll go to your parent-teacher meeting," I whispered.

I helped Perla wash her face and finally got her to fall asleep.

But even in her dreams, her little brows were furrowed tight.

"Daddy, hug me..." she mumbled.

It felt like a needle piercing my heart.

If only that thing three years ago had never happened. Perla wouldn't have to suffer like this.

Back then, my dad had felt sorry for me, for pining after his best friend Issac for ten years. So he'd simply drugged Issac and sent Issac to my bed.

I'd been startled. "Dad, what are you doing? You'll ruin everything!"

My dad sighed. "I've known for a long time you like him. And Issac, he's got feelings for you, too. He just won't admit it.

"I heard him call your name when he was drunk once. I felt bad for you, hiding it all these years. Sometimes you just have to have a long shot gamble to make things work," he'd said, referring to forcing a done deal.

I'd fought it with everything I had. But suddenly, my body grew hot.

My Dad had chuckled. "I put something in your wine, too. Cherish this night, Evie."

Then he'd locked the door and left.

The next morning, Issac woke up. He said in a cold tone, "Evie, I'll take responsibility. I'll marry you."

I'd thought a happy life was finally within reach.

But then, at a party, I accidentally overheard him talking to a friend.

"Issac, you've got no idea how lucky you are," the friend said. "Evangeline is hot, loaded, and she's head over heels for you. Just settle down and be happy."

Issac lit a cigarette, a cold sneer tugging at his lips.

"I liked her in the beginning. But turns out she's just ... such an easy girl.

"The way she drugged me, threw herself at me that night... Just thinking about it makes me sick."

I hadn't even had time to figure out how to explain the truth to him when, half a month later, he applied for a visa and left America.

And that one night had left me pregnant.

I gave birth to Perla alone, waiting day and night for him to come back.

Instead, what I got was news of him tangled up with Marissa and her daughter.

The empty villa felt cold and silent. I pulled out my phone to call Issac and ask when he'd be home, but the door suddenly pushed open.

Issac walked in, his expression as cold as ever.

He glanced at Perla, who was fast asleep in her bed, then spoke casually, "Alena is visiting me tomorrow. You and Perla should go out for the day."

When I stared at him curiously, he curled his lips into a faint smile. "Alena's possessive. She can't stand another kid calling me Daddy."

The anger that had been simmering in me finally erupted.

I laughed out of fury. "Issac, do you even remember who your biological daughter is?

"Do you know what happened to Perla at kindergarten today..."

Issac frowned, cutting me off sharply.

"Evangeline, I don't need you to remind me of this.

"About today's parent-teacher meeting, I'm sorry. Alena's parent had to attend, too. Marissa's divorced, and she can't handle Alena alone," he said, as if that excused everything.

"Besides, I promised Marissa a long time ago, before I even met you, that I'd never let her be wronged.

"I married you like you wanted. You can't stop me from taking care of her and her daughter. I owe them that."

With that, Issac dropped his coat and walked to the bathroom.

The sound of running water drowned out my desperate, helpless sobs.

If I'd known marrying him would lead to this life, I'd have rather died than let that night happen.

I stared at the divorce agreement I'd just drafted on my laptop, a bitter smile tugging at my lips.

If it weren't for Perla, I'd have already filed for divorce. My pride wouldn't have let me endure this.

But the thought of Perla being wronged, of her growing up without a father, I still wanted to fight for her, just a little longer.

Early the next morning, Perla woke up and heard her father was home. She bounced up on her bed excitedly.

"I want to show Daddy the painting I made yesterday!"

Kids were so quick to forgive. Perla had already forgotten the hurt from the kindergarten incident.

Perla raced downstairs, delighted.

But she saw that Marissa and Alena were sitting on the sofa, and Issac was gently peeling an orange for Alena.

"Daddy, who are they?"

When Issac saw that Perla was still at home, he frowned. "Why are you still here? Where's your mom?"

Perla flinched, then held out the drawing she'd been clutching, which she'd worked on for a week.

"I ... I drew this, the three of us. I wanted to give it to you when you came back home..."

She was about to hand it over when a small hand snatched it away.

"What a dumb painting!"

Alena spat, then stomped on it and tore it in half.

Hands on her hips, she glared at Perla arrogantly. She then even pushed Perla.

"He's my Daddy! Perla, all my classmates say you're a bastard. Who allowed you to call him 'Daddy'!"

Perla stumbled backward and fell to the floor, sobbing. I panicked, rushing over to help her up, then turned to Alena with a cold stare.

"Apologize," I said sharply.

Issac's frown deepened, his tone annoyed. "Evangeline, why are you being so harsh on a kid?"

Without another word, he lifted Alena into his arms, shielding her.

"I told you last night. Alena can't stand anyone else calling me 'Daddy,'" he said, as if that justified everything.

"She was just upset and angry. She didn't push Perla on purpose."

I stood my ground and didn't give in.

"Didn't push her on purpose? Were you not watching just now?

"Issac, she just called Perla a bastard! Tell her, is Perla really a bastard?"

Issac hesitated for a split second, then turned back to comforting Alena gently. There was no hint of making her apologize.

Marissa rolled her eyes subtly, then put on a soft, magnanimous smile and stepped in.

"Ms. Kirk, I'm so sorry. Alena grew up abroad. She's just too straightforward and doesn't know how to hold her tongue. Please don't take her words to heart."

Her words only made Alena, in her arms, puff out her chest, even more proud of herself.

Alena shrilled, "I wasn't wrong! All my classmates say Perla is a bastard! She stole my Daddy!"

I clenched my fists so tight and turned to Issac coldly.

Before, when he said he was a germaphobe, Perla and I endured it, bending over backward to humour him.

I tolerated it when he lied about working overtime to sneak off with other women.

But now, I couldn't let anyone call my daughter a bastard.

"Issac, I'm asking you again.

"Is Perla really a bastard?"

Issac's face clouded over with annoyance. He sneered, "Don't you know exactly how she became my daughter?

"Enough, Alena is my guest. Let's not ruin today for everyone."

Marissa and Alena stood by, clearly gloating.

Issac picked Alena up, his tone soft with distress. "Want me to buy you toys?"

"I want a princess' dress!" Alena demanded.

"Okay, anything you want," Issac said, doting in a way he'd never been with Perla.

I watched his back as he walked toward the door, my heart turning to ice.

Finally, I said the words I'd hesitated to speak for so long: "Issac, let's get a divorce."

Issac paused, then turned around, his expression cold as frost.

"Evangeline, do you think this is fun?" he asked.

"If you believe I'll give in to your threats, fine. Do whatever you want."

With that, he walked out without glancing back.

A faint smile flickered at the corner of Marissa's lips, but she quickly masked it, turning to me with an apologetic look.

"I'm truly sorry about all this. Issac and I are just friends, nothing more. He's always been so kind-hearted. he feels bad that I got divorced young, and Alena has no father, so he looks out for us a little extra. Please don't take it the wrong way and don't let this ruin your mood..."

Before leaving, Marissa added my contact information, saying she wanted to make up for Alena tearing Perla's painting.

"Marissa, come on," Issac called gently from outside, holding Alena in his arms.

He stood not far from the door, his tone soft.

"Coming!" Marissa replied with a smile, hurrying after them.

They hadn't gone far when their conversation drifted back into my ears.

"Issac, don't you know what you've done. Ms. Kirk only said divorce because she's angry, right? How could you just agree like that?"

Issac mocked, "She went to great lengths to secure this marriage. How could she possibly be willing to get a divorce?

"She was so mean to Alena. This is just a little punishment. It won't be long before she's begging me to come back."

I couldn't help but laugh coldly.

I murmured, "Issac, you have no idea. People change.

"The Evangeline who once risked everything for love is gone.

"Now, for my daughter's sake, I'll walk away from you. completely."

Perla had hidden in her room, sobbing nonstop. "Mom, all my classmates say Daddy's Alena's Daddy... but I didn't steal him... I didn't..."

Later, she fell asleep clutching a photo of Issac, but I lay awake all night.

I picked up my phone and saw Marissa had a new post on her Instagram.

It read, "Alena finally has the fatherly love she's been missing. No one can take what's ours!"

Right below the text was a photo: Marissa, Issac, and Alena hugging tightly, smiling warmly at the camera. They looked like the perfect family of three.

I absentmindedly tapped "Like," and seconds later, my phone pinged with a new message.

It was a video sent from Marissa. On screen was Issac, looking as handsome as ever. It was filmed when he'd just returned to America.

A friend was asking him, "Issac, what's the happiest thing that's happened to you lately?"

He answered casually, "Last week overseas, I put Alena to sleep, then pulled Marissa into the bathroom, and we..."

His eyes softening with tenderness, mixed with the snickers and jeers from the people around him.

It made my hands and feet turn ice-cold.

Earlier, Marissa had also posted this line to her Instagram: "Ever since we had the kid, we've had no time for sex life. We can only wait till Alena's asleep to steal little moments together..."

My mind was reeling when Marissa sent me another message.

"I'm so sorry! I clicked the wrong contact just now. I never meant to send that to you. By the time I realized, I couldn't withdraw it anymore.

"But to be honest, you must know where Issac stands, right?

"You forced this marriage with dirty tricks to become Mrs. Ritter. These past three years abroad, he's been with me and Alena the whole time.

"Even though Alena isn't his biological daughter, Issac is more attentive and caring than her real Daddy ever was. We broke up before, but he can't bear to leave me. It won't be long till we get back together.

"Ms. Kirk, I know you come from a rich family. You don't need to cling to this man. I'd advise you not to make trouble for yourself. Step back voluntarily."

After that, she sent another photo.

Alena grinning brightly in the middle, with Marissa and Issac each leaning in to kiss her cheek. They looked like the happiest family in the world.

I smiled and replied, "Okay."

Then I called my Daddy.

"Daddy, I've made up my mind. I'm taking Perla abroad to settle down. We'll leave in a few days."

My Daddy's voice, full of surprise, came through the line.

"Really? But I heard Issac's back in America now. You finally reunited. Does he agree to this?"

Seeing his message, I forced a smile.

I replied, "That's exactly what he wants."

I didn't stay up waiting for Issac to come home like I used to.

Issac returned around two in the morning.

The moment he walked in, he frowned at the pitch-black room.

Usually, I'd leave a light on for him, but this time, I didn't.

And it wasn't just this time. After that night, I stopped fussing over Issac entirely. For three days, I didn't say a single word to him.

Finally sensing something was off, Issac came home with a gift box in hand.

"Evie, this is for you," he said.

A flicker of apology crossed his face. "Alena was being unreasonable the other day. I'm sorry on her behalf, both to you and Perla."

As he spoke, he opened the box to reveal an outdated necklace lying inside. He picked it up. "Let me put it on for you."

I stepped back calmly, avoiding his hand. "No."

I'd already seen this necklace in Marissa's Instagram post.

She'd complained about it being out of style, even mocked it and said she'd thrown it away.

I walked past Issac expressionlessly, picked Perla up in my arms, changed her clothes, and headed for the door to drive out.

He glanced at me, froze for a second, then his gaze lingered on me for a long time.

"You ... you seem different today. Where are you going? I'll drive you," Issac said.

He seemed uncharacteristically attentive.

In the rearview mirror, I caught sight of myself in a crisp, casual suit. Once, I'd only worn soft, gentle dresses in front of him.

But during the three years he was away, I'd started my own company, handled business meetings, and even fixed leaky pipes by myself.

I didn't need him at all.

As for driving...

"No need. I'm probably a better driver than you," I said flatly.

Besides, the real reason I'd gone out today was to take Perla and cancel our domestic IDs.

Three hours later, we walked out after finishing the procedure, only to see Issac's car parked at the entrance. He stood by it, frown deepened, staring at me sharply.

"Evangeline, what are you doing here with Perla?"

He'd clearly driven all the way here, watching us go in and waiting three whole hours for us to come out.

Somehow, my chest felt a faint, tugging ache.

I smiled, casual as ever. "Nothing important. My ID expired. I came to get a new one."

"Aren't you busy today? I heard Marissa's been looking for a job lately. She must need your help," I added.

Issac's eyes bore into me, his expression dark and unreadable.

After a long silence, he let out a cold laugh. "Evangeline, you're something.

"This is the first time I've seen a wife kick her own husband out. Fine. If that's what you want, I'll play along."

He slammed the car door shut so hard. In seconds, his car roared away and disappeared from sight.

I truly didn't get it. Why was he angry? I'd just given him permission to be with Marissa, like he'd wanted.

It wasn't until later that Issac's assistant, Gregory Walls, told me the truth.

"Mrs. Ritter, Mr. Ritter took the whole day off on purpose. He wanted to spend time with you and Perla. How did you end up making him leave like that?

"Now he's gotten drunk and gone to see Marissa and her daughter again..." Gregory added, his tone helpless.

He'd always thought Issac and I were a good match, and had even tried to help us fix things.

I let out a bitter laugh. "Thank you, but just let him be."

After all, we only had three days left here.

Perla and I would be gone soon.

But I never could've predicted what happened next. On the day I went to handle Perla's school transfer, Alena pushed her into the pool, triggering a life-threatening emergency.

I frantically rushed Perla to the hospital.

But the doctors told me that Issac had diverted all the city's emergency medical resources to treat Alena's sudden allergy.

Staring at Perla's pale face, I called Issac again and again, begging him to help save our daughter.

Instead of his voice, I heard Marissa sobbing in the background. When Issac finally spoke in a cold and mocking tone, "Evangeline, quit your fake pity act.

"Perla's fine. Nothing could've happened to her.

"I took the day off to be with you, and you drove me away. Now Alena's having a severe allergic reaction, and you're still trying to stir up trouble out of jealousy? Trying to compete for my attention?"

I felt a metallic taste in my throat, like I was about to cough up blood. I opened my mouth to explain, but all I heard was the sharp, endless beep of a hung-up call.

Despair crashed over me.

I thought Perla would cry when she woke up, but when she opened her eyes, still hooked up to the oxygen tube, she looked at me with eerie calm, whispering, "Mommy, Daddy really doesn't want me anymore, does he?"

She managed a small, sensible smile, reaching out weakly to wipe my tears.

"Don't cry, Mommy. Then I won't want Daddy anymore either."

In the end, I called my father, begging him to use his connections. My dad quickly arranged for a top specialist from the next city to rush over.

During Perla's entire hospital stay, Issac never showed up.

Meanwhile, the local news was running a story about him: "Issac Ritter Mobilizes Citywide Medical Resources to Save a Child," painting him as a hero.

I stared coldly at his look of worry on the screen.

I said coldly, "Issac, since you love them so much, my daughter and I will grant you that wish."

The day Perla was discharged, I finalized the cancellation of our domestic IDs, deleted Issac's contact information, and broke my phone card.

Then I took Perla by the hand, and we left this city forever...