He was the boy I had raised since he was a baby. He had been a soft, sweet little thing who used to wrap his arms around my neck and say, “I love you the most, Daddy.”

However, as he grew older, he became more and more impatient with me.

Somewhere along the way, the boy I loved with my whole life stopped making room for me in his heart. There was only Uncle David.

He preferred David over his own father, the father who had been there every single day.

A sudden sting rose in my nose, but I forced back the urge to cry.

Bryan was the one I had worried about the most. I had even considered staying for him.

It seemed I had only been fooling myself.

When she heard the commotion, Olivia hurried upstairs. When she saw what was happening, she quickly pulled Bryan in front of her.

“Bryan, what are you doing? How can you hit your dad? What have I always taught you? You’re supposed to respect him and behave. Why are you being so disobedient? Apologize to your father right now. And today is your dad’s birthday too. Why won’t you let him cut the cake with you?”

Bryan puffed up his cheeks and shouted, “I did nothing wrong! Today is my birthday. If Uncle hadn’t told me to come get him, I wouldn’t have come at all. He was mean to Uncle too. He’s the bad one. It’s his fault for not spending my birthday with me. I did nothing wrong!”

After saying that, he turned to look at David. “Good thing I have Uncle. I’m cutting the cake with him this year. I don’t want Daddy to do it with me anymore.”

I watched my son scream, cry, and refuse to admit any fault. My heart was filled with disappointment. This was the child I had loved for five years.

Olivia looked at our son, then turned to me with a hint of awkwardness. “Hugh, it’s Bryan’s birthday today. Just let it go. I’ll discipline him later.”

As I gazed at her, I understood perfectly. She probably agreed with what Bryan said.

Sure enough, she continued a moment later. There was a complaining edge to her tone as she said, “But you’re at fault too, Hugh. Bryan is still so young. This is when he needs people around him the most. How can you keep leaving him on his own? It’s a good thing David has been there for him. No wonder the boy sides with his uncle instead of you.”

Even though I had long since stopped expecting anything, sadness still settled in my chest.

The system’s punishment was already unbearable. On top of that, I had to devote what little strength I had left each day to caring for Bryan. He demanded constant attention. The only times I ever stepped back were when I simply could not stay on my feet any longer. I would ask him to let me have a moment to myself.

I never expected that I, the father who had raised him since he was born, would be judged for taking the occasional moment to rest. In an instant, I became the most irresponsible father, while David, who had only ever spent a little time playing with him, was treated like the one who had done everything right.

How absurd.

Perhaps my expression looked really dark, so Olivia tried to smooth things over.

She gave Bryan a final warning, saying, “Bryan, apologize to your father. No matter what, hitting him is wrong. After you apologize, you can cut the cake together with your father and your uncle.”

Bryan pouted. He looked like he had been wrongly accused, but he mumbled an apology anyway.

“I’m sorry, Daddy. You can cut the cake with Uncle and me, but you can’t bully Uncle anymore. If you do, I’ll hit you again.”

Bryan still looked just as adorable as ever. In the past, just looking at him made my heart melt. I would have given that boy the moon if I could.

However, at this moment, all I felt was a coldness spreading through my limbs. This was the child I had loved for five years.

My voice came out very soft, like I was suppressing something. “It’s fine. You can cut the cake with your uncle.”

I had no intention of eating that cake. Besides, I would not be at any of his future birthdays. It did not matter who cut the cake anymore.

Bryan cheered in excitement as he cut the cake with David, while Olivia watched them with all the warmth in her eyes, as if they were the perfect family of three.

None of them spared me a glance.

In the past, seeing that would have left me feeling despondent. However, there was no longer any sorrow left within me.

After the cake was cut, Bryan started demanding to open his gifts.

Olivia’s gift to him was a limited-edition toy sports car.

Then, she turned to me. Her eyes still held that soft affection as she handed me a box.

“Hugh, this is your birthday gift. Open it and see if you like it.”

Inside the box was a luxurious Rolex watch. At one glance, I could tell that it cost a fortune.

However, the same watch had appeared in David’s social media feed just a few days ago.

She really made things easy for herself, keeping everything fair and equal. She gave her husband and her lover the same gift.

I closed the box with a neutral expression and said politely, “Thank you for the gift.”

When she heard my indifferent tone, Olivia’s heart skipped a beat.

She looked at me as if she wanted to say something.

At that moment, Bryan suddenly turned to David with an expectant look on his face. “Uncle, what is my birthday gift? Can I open it now?”

David responded gently, “Of course, you can.”

Bryan tore open the gift and let out an excited cheer. It was the latest smartphone model.

“Wow, this is amazing! Uncle, I love it! This is the best gift I’ve ever gotten.”

He was about to unlock the phone, then he paused. He seemed to remember that his father was still standing nearby.

I had always been strict with him, especially when it came to using his phone. I had set clear rules that he could only use it for half an hour after finishing his homework.

“Daddy, this is a gift from Uncle David. You can’t take it away.”

As he said this, he looked at me warily.

I said indifferently, “I’ll no longer stop you from playing on your phone. You can play as long as you want.”

Olivia looked at me in surprise. “Hugh, what are you saying? Bryan is still young. He can’t be glued to a phone all day.”

A flicker of darkness passed through my expression.

So, she did know that limiting his screen time was something I did for his best interests. However, whenever I tried to discipline Bryan, she would always step in as the “good guy.”

Whenever Bryan was not happy about finishing his screen time allowance and went to her crying, Olivia would always say, “Just let him play a little longer.”

Maybe that was how I became the bad dad in Bryan’s eyes.

As I thought of that, I sneered and repeated the very words she used to say to me. “So, he wants to play a little longer. What of it? If Bryan wants to play, just let him.”

Olivia frowned, displeased. “Hugh, how can you say that?”

Seeing that his gift had caused an argument, David quickly stepped in to mediate. “I should’ve been more considerate when I bought it. Hugh, what did you get for Bryan? Let’s see your gift.”

I gave a hollow smile. “As a father, I clearly don’t matter as much to my son as his uncle. It doesn’t matter what I give him. Bryan, I’ll just give you money. You can buy whatever you want.”

In the past, every year for Bryan’s birthday, I would carefully choose a gift. However, no matter what I gave him, he would always toss it aside and praise only the gift from his uncle.

I used to think it was simply because I did not choose the right gift for him, but the truth was, it was not about the gift at all. It was because I was never truly appreciated.

No matter what I gave him, the result was always the same.

This time, I had no intention of wasting my time or energy, trying to please anyone.

Bryan seemed to sense my cold attitude. Feeling hurt, he ran over to David. Then, in fluent Ruslanthian, he whispered, “Uncle, I think I’m starting to dislike Daddy. I wish you were my dad instead.”

David shot me a glance, then smiled as he pulled Bryan into his arms. He responded in Ruslanthian, “If you don’t like your dad, how about I be your dad instead?”

Bryan eagerly nodded. His face lit up with joy as he answered, “Yes! I love you the most!”

I watched the two of them bonding like father and son. Then, I turned to Olivia, who also understood Ruslanthian, and asked, “What are they saying?”

Olivia hesitated for a moment, then responded naturally, “It’s nothing. Bryan was just being clingy. He’s mentioned how much he likes David’s gift.”

I stared at her for several seconds. It was as if I were seeing her for the first time.

“I see.”

My voice trembled slightly. Olivia had probably forgotten that I had studied in Ruslan.

The way they could lie so easily in front of me, without even a hint of guilt, made it clear that this was not the first time. How many times had they lied to me before?

They were speaking in Ruslanthian, right in front of me, sharing inside jokes that only they understood. They were communicating openly and putting me down behind my back.

Perhaps, in their eyes, this was their shared secret.

However, it no longer bothered me.

I would be gone soon anyway. I’d let them have their happy little family.

A little later, the doorbell rang.

My parents, Robert Spencer and Lisa Spencer, came in with gifts. Bryan ran into their arms.

“Sweetheart, did you miss us? We bought you so many presents. We also brought lots of your favorite snacks.

“Let us hold you. You’ve grown so tall! And David, you look like you’ve lost weight. We brought you some supplements.”

As another birthday celebrant, I did not even receive a glance from my parents, let alone a gift.

The favoritism was so obvious. If it were the old me, I might have felt disappointed, but at this moment, I only felt relieved.

This way, when I left, I would not miss a single one of them.

Olivia saw my blank expression and thought I was upset.

She gently placed her arm around my waist in an attempt to comfort me. “Hugh, it’s okay. You still have me. You’ve lost some weight too. Let’s go shopping tomorrow. You can buy whatever you want. Bryan is still a child, and David is young, so it’s normal for your parents to take care of them more.”

I inhaled the faint scent of sandalwood wafting from her, but all I could see in my mind was the image of her being intimate with David.

A wave of nausea hit me suddenly. I quickly found an excuse to go to the kitchen to serve the food.

To my surprise, Olivia followed me. With a hint of affection, she said, “I’ll serve it.”

I was happy to be left alone. I sat in the living room and scrolled through my phone. My parents were chatting animatedly, but I did not join in.

As my parents saw me sitting there, their conversation gradually faltered. They had been ignoring me, but when I gave no reaction, they did not know what to do.

As they watched me sit there perfectly at ease, they began making snide remarks.

“We came all the way here to celebrate his birthday, and here he is, pulling a long face. A grown man with no job is one thing, but now he can’t even take care of the house and waits around to be served.”