"You're the older one. You've always been mature ever since you were a child. Why don't you let Vince have his way this time? Just treat it as you doing him a favor," Mom said.

I hung up and leaned against the elevator's cold wall.

It seemed that even Mom had been in on the scheme. My entire family had been plotting against me behind my back.

I staggered back to my home.

There were traces of Connor in every corner of the house. There were lines on the doorframe that I used to measure his height. His favorite superhero figurines were scattered across the couch.

My breathing turned ragged as I rummaged through the cabinets. I also yanked out all of Giselle's drawers and smashed them on the ground.

Finally, I found a metal box in the bottom drawer of the bedside cabinet. Inside the box was Connor's birth certificate.

"Father: Vincent Sawyer.

"Mother: Giselle Lambert."

There was also a property deed inside the box. Only Giselle's name was printed on the document.

To buy this house, I used up all my pre-marital savings. It seemed that all of my efforts had been in vain now.

I turned the metal box upside down.

A yellowed receipt fell out among the mess of ticket stubs. It was a receipt of a donation that was made to Sunshine Orphanage located in the suburbs.

Giselle had donated two thousand dollars to the orphanage a month after she gave birth.

Giselle wasn't the type to do charity. She would even scold the beggars on the streets. So why did she make a donation to an orphanage that was located so far away?

The doorbell rang.

A few seconds later, the door swung open to reveal Giselle.

A hint of panic flickered in her eyes when she noticed the mess on the floor and the birth certificate. She quickly regained her composure and fixed an adoring expression on her face. She then pulled out a cake box from behind her back as well as a tie.

"Don't be angry anymore, Hayden. I got your favorite chestnut cake for you. I also bought the tie you've been eyeing recently but weren't willing to splurge your money on.

"Mom was hounding me for a grandson. The Lambert family needed a male heir to carry on the bloodline. On top of that, you became impotent after the accident. The doctor also said it would be incredibly difficult for you to have children in the future.

"Why don't you treat Connor as your biological son? I swear that I'll never divorce you for the rest of my life if you do."

I was suddenly reminded of all the preparations I had made to ensure that Giselle would get pregnant. I had actually suffered a great deal to increase her chances of conceiving our child.

I stopped smoking and drinking, and I also sacrificed sleep in favor of studying relevant information that might come in handy when Giselle was expecting. I also prepared balanced meals for her every day to ensure that her body was in the best condition.

To earn more money so that we could have our IVF procedure conducted at the best private hospital, I worked in the office during the day while moonlighting as a cab driver at night. Due to overworking myself, I ended up developing a rather severe stomach illness.

I even got into an accident while I was on the way to the hospital to accompany Giselle when she went into labor. Not only did I fall unconscious due to my heavy injuries, but I also ended up becoming impotent.

At the time, Giselle had held my hands tightly, her eyes turning red. Her sobbing was reminiscent of a child when she exclaimed, "Let's give up on having a child, Hayden! My heart hurts so much watching you work yourself to the bone like this."

And now, Giselle was using the gentlest tone to say the cruelest words.

My eyes widened when my gaze landed on the cake.

The box was transparent, so I could clearly see that a corner of the chestnut cake was missing. It became blatantly obvious that someone had taken a bite out of it.

As for the tie, I could see some cologne stains on it that the person had failed to wipe clean.

My limbs suddenly felt unbearably cold.

I suddenly recalled that Vincent had updated his social media just an hour ago.

"I'm sure there's a recycling center out there that's willing to accept my outdated ties and the desserts that I dislike."

He had attached a photo with his message, showing the same cake that was missing a corner and the same tie.

Giselle was attempting to appease me with Vincent's leftovers.

My gut twisted uncomfortably. I grabbed both the cake and the tie and hurled them in Giselle's face.

"Get out. And take your kept lover's trash with you."

Giselle's expression darkened as she wiped the cream from her face. "Don't push your luck, Hayden Sawyer."

She then pulled out a stack of cash from her purse and tossed it on the table. "This is this month's household allowance."

"Don't forget to take Connor to the kindergarten tomorrow for registration," Giselle said.

She turned around when she was done speaking and stormed out of the house.

I dug my nails into my palms as I stared at the yellowed receipt from the orphanage. I pulled out my phone and sent a message to my old boss, Blake Hilton.

"I'd like to return to work, Mr. Hilton."

Blake replied instantly. "You're welcome to rejoin us any time. I've always left your spot vacant for you."

I also hired a private investigator. I snapped a picture of the yellowed receipt and sent it to him, saying, "Please look into this orphanage's records for the past three years. Focus on female babies."

…

The next morning, Giselle dropped Connor off at my house.

Connor immediately began wailing at the top of his lungs after he stepped through the door.

"I want my real Daddy! I don't want to be here!"

I looked down at Connor. He was wearing a new silver necklace around his neck. The words, "Daddy loves you" were engraved on the back of the necklace.

…

I took Connor to the kindergarten for his registration.

The kindergarten was packed that day with most parents standing in line while waiting for their turn.

When it was finally our turn, the staff member frowned as she scanned through the documents.

"The father's information that you submitted doesn't match what's on the child's birth certificate. We need the child's biological parents to be present to sign the confirmation letter."

The other parents shot glances at me and began whispering among themselves.

Just then, the sounds of leather shoes tapping against the ground echoed around the hall.

Vincent and Giselle appeared, their arms locked with one another.

Vincent was wearing a red shirt that day. "My apologies. I'm Connor's actual father," he said.

Connor broke free from my grasp and shouted, "Daddy!"

He then threw himself into Vincent's embrace.

Vincent shot a provoking look at me before he pulled out a pack of peanut butter cookies from his bag.

"Look what I brought for you, Connor. Your favorite snack."

Connor cheered and reached out to grab the pack of cookies.

I dashed over to them and knocked the pack of cookies to the floor, exclaiming, "Connor can't eat that. He's allergic to peanuts. He'll go into shock."

Connor was momentarily stunned as he stared at the broken cookies on the floor. He started wailing at the top of his lungs, screaming, "You evil man! You're jealous because Daddy bought something delicious for me! You poor man!"

Vincent hugged Connor with a pained expression. He turned to look at me before saying, "I know you can't afford these imported snacks, Hayden. Still, you shouldn't destroy Connor's things just because you're jealous. You're being too petty."

The other parents around us also began criticizing me. "What a despicable man. He won't even let the child have a little snack."

Giselle approached us and shoved me aside. She frowned and said, "Are you done causing trouble yet, Hayden? Why are you acting like a lunatic when Vincent just wanted to give Connor a snack out of the goodness of his heart?"

I stumbled back a few steps when Giselle pushed me. I bit my lip and retrieved a small, wooden dinosaur from my bag. I had stayed up for three nights carving it for Connor's birthday.

"A lunatic? When Connor was a year old, he got rashes all over his body after he ate a peanut butter cookie. I even had to take him to the emergency room. I was also the one who kept vigil by his bedside for three days and three nights."

Connor didn't spare a single glance at the wooden dinosaur. He snatched it out of my hands and hurled it into a muddy puddle nearby. Then he even stomped on it a couple of times.

"I don't want your trash! I only want my real Daddy."

The wooden dinosaur was covered in mud and filth. It was completely ruined.

I didn't shed a single tear as I looked at Vincent, Giselle, and Connor. I turned around and left the kindergarten.

I had just left the building when I received a message from the private investigator.

"I've found the information that you wanted, Mr. Sawyer. Ms. Lambert did secretly drop off a baby girl at Sunshine Orphanage three years ago. The orphanage is having a public charity drive today. Ms. Lambert is on their guest list."

My breath hitched in my throat. I hailed a cab and slipped inside.

"To Sunshine Orphanage in the suburbs. Hurry."

Sunshine Orphanage was bustling with activity that day. Colorful banners had been put up all around the compound.

Giselle, Vincent, and Connor were attending the charity drive as a perfect example of a loving family. They were getting ready to be interviewed by the local news.

I avoided the entrance and slipped into the compound by scaling the iron fence in the backyard.

The backyard was dark and damp. There was also a musty smell permeating the air.

I spotted a young girl, who looked around three years old, huddling near the staircase in the corner. She was wearing old, tattered clothes, and she shivered whenever a cold breeze blew past.

The young girl was clutching a cold, hardened sweet roll in a death grip. Bruises and scratches littered the exposed skin of her arms.

Her body was shaking from the cold as she looked up at me. Her eyes and features were the spitting image of mine when I was a child.

I felt my limbs go weak.

Just then, I received another message from the private investigator. "I managed to secure a photo of the orphanage's acceptance form from that year. Giselle was the one who signed it. The girl's name is Quinn Sawyer."

I looked between the indisputable evidence on the screen and my biological daughter, who was covered in wounds.

Quinn was practically skin and bones.

I curled my hands into tight fists.

The sounds of thunderous applause echoed from the front of the compound.

Giselle and Vincent were having their photos taken under the spotlight. Connor was dressed in a suit, holding up an imported chocolate bar.

Meanwhile, a fat caretaker grabbed Quinn by her hair and roughly dragged her away toward a dark shed.

"We have important guests here today. A money-sucking leech like you needs to make yourself scarce. Don't wander around and be an eyesore for everyone."

I lunged at the caretaker and aimed a powerful kick at him. I then pulled Quinn into my embrace.

Quinn was trembling violently. She subconsciously covered her head with her arms and mumbled, "Don't beat me… I'll be good…"

I hugged Quinn even more tightly. Picking her up, I rushed toward the stage that had been set up at the front of the orphanage with reddened eyes.

I brandished my phone in Giselle's face, showing her the photo of the acceptance form.

"You're nothing more than a beast, Giselle!" I exclaimed. "You abandoned our daughter at an orphanage and allowed her to be abused just because of your lover and your bastard son."

Chaos erupted among the crowd.

The media outlets immediately pointed their cameras at us.

The color drained from Giselle's face. She frantically used her hands to block the cameras as she tried to explain herself. "Let me explain, Hayden. Mom wanted a grandson. I had no other choice."

The director of the orphanage swiftly stepped forward to protect Giselle. He pointed an accusatory finger at me and shouted, "Where are the security guards? Take this man away right now! Nobody wants the little bastard anyway. He's just spouting nonsense!"

A few security guards rushed onto the stage and twisted my arms behind my back.

Vincent bit his lip as he considered how to maintain his image of a good younger brother. He rushed forward and grabbed a fistful of Quinn's clothes.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Where did you come from, you little brat? Get rid of her right now."

"Get your hands off my daughter!"

I struggled wildly, but I couldn't break free from the security guards' hold and remained pinned on the ground.

Taking advantage of the chaos and my immobilized state, Vincent shoved Quinn off the stage.

"Time to die, little bastard."

Quinn fell off the stage. With a loud thud, the back of her head hit the corner of the concrete flowerbed next to the stage.

Fresh blood began to flow from the back of her head, turning the puddles on the ground red.

Quinn weakly opened her eyes and looked at me. "It hurts… Daddy…" she mumbled.

Her little hand fell limply next to her side as her eyes fluttered shut.

Giselle's legs turned to jelly at the gruesome sight, making her fall to her knees.

Vincent scoffed. "So what if she dies? I'll just pay the compensation fee."

The camera flashes were going off endlessly, but no one stepped forward to save Quinn.

I struggled to crawl toward Quinn, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"Someone, save Quinn!"