Keith, seizing the moment while everyone's attention was elsewhere, sneakily pinched Quintin. The baby immediately burst into wailing cries.

Gwen's expression darkened instantly. As she tried to soothe Quintin, she demanded, "Ernest, what exactly are you trying to do? Ever since you got back, you've been causing one trouble after another—first the resignation, now the disrespect.

"I already heard from the hotel staff that you arranged the wedding setup. If you still want to marry me, then apologize to my mother right now! I can let bygones be bygones and allow you to continue as Quintin's father in name, to take care of us both."

Hearing this, I laughed inwardly.

Everyone believed I was hopelessly in love with Gwen that I would stick around even as her unpaid nanny just to stay by her side. However, they all overlooked one thing. It was true I had arranged the wedding setup, but I never said I was the one marrying her.

With that thought, I replied calmly, "Then let's not get married. Gwen, I'm breaking up with you."

A stunned silence fell over everyone.

Gwen froze for a second, then seemed to realize something and let out a contemptuous smirk. "You want to break up with me? Ernest, what kind of brain rot have you been watching online? Are you trying to play hard to get now? You think if you threaten to leave, I'll drop everything and come begging you to stay?

"Know your place. If it weren't for my family, you would've starved to death out there long ago. Instead of wasting energy on these pathetic schemes, how about you focus on serving my family properly? Maybe I'll consider giving you a chance, then."

I was utterly speechless.

"You told me you were afraid of getting married and having children. You asked me to wait, to give you a little more time. Well, I have been waiting for ten years now.

"I left to study abroad, and then you turned around and had Keith's baby. What, was I supposed to just roll over and accept being cheated on?"

At my question, Gwen put on a smile that said she'd seen this coming all along.

"I knew it—you really are just jealous of Keith! Only someone with a filthy mind would see it that way. You think everyone is as sleazy as you? Quintin was conceived through IVF, so I haven't done anything to betray you. Besides, your whole family is a bunch of short-lived, low-IQ, disease-ridden weaklings.

"Am I not even allowed to borrow superior, strong genes for Quintin? How can you be so selfish and not think about Quintin's future at all? As his mother, am I wrong for wanting him to be better and more exceptional?"

As Gwen spouted her twisted logic, her relatives began pointing fingers at me too. They belittled me as petty, narrow-minded, and completely worthless.

But instead of getting angry, I just found it laughable.

My parents died young because they were part of a classified national experiment back in the day. They were exposed to too many chemicals and passed away from cancer. They gave their lives for science, and the nation posthumously awarded them medals of honor for their sacrifice.

As for the wreck my body had become, Gwen had more than a little to do with that.

Back then, she had jumped into starting a business on a whim. She had no connections or understanding of corporate networking; in fact, all she had was a warehouse full of products and no clients in sight.

It was me who ran myself ragged day after day, swallowing my pride and handling the drinking and schmoozing at all those business dinners. Little by little, I built the company's reputation from nothing.

But over time, my health went to ruin. I developed a stomach condition so severe that even the slightest cold or spicy food would send me into uncontrollable spasms and vomiting. And Gwen? She never once noticed any of it.

Now, seeing that I had become the target of everyone's scorn, Keith could barely keep the smirk off his face. Yet, he still had the nerve to step forward, playing the part of the peacemaker.

"Ernest, this is all my fault. I don't know my place. I let myself start thinking I was part of this family. At the end of the day, I'm just an outsider who provided some genes for Quintin.

"Me staying here will only get in the way of your family's happiness. Just let me take one last look at Quintin, and I'll leave right away."

He even managed to squeeze out a few tears, putting on the perfect picture of wounded innocence.

Gwen's heart melted on the spot. She stopped him and said, "Keith, how could any of this be your fault? Ernest is the one who doesn't know what's good for him!"

"Ernest has no family left. Who else would take him in besides us? He wouldn't dare leave, and he has nowhere to go. He's just putting on a pitiful act, trying to make me grovel and beg him to stay for once," Gwen said.

I couldn't be bothered to explain anymore, so I went to the bedroom to pack my things.

It was pathetic, really. After ten years together, aside from a few washed-out shirts, there was hardly anything that belonged to me.

The entire house was filled with either baby supplies and toys Gwen had bought for Quintin, or her designer handbags and brand-name coats, each worth tens of thousands of dollars.

In less than ten minutes, I was done packing.

Seeing me dragging my suitcase out, ready to leave, Keith remarked with feigned nonchalance, "Gwen, it doesn't look like Ernest is joking."

Gwen froze for a moment, then hurried over.

I thought she wanted to stop me, to make me stay. I was just about to refuse when she grabbed hold of my suitcase.

"These are all my things. You've been living under my roof, eating my food—what gives you the right to take any of this with you?"

I let out a cold laugh and nodded. Then, I dropped the suitcase and turned to walk out. But Mr. and Mrs. Blanchard were already blocking the doorway.

"Hold it right there! Name one thing on you right now that wasn't bought with Gwen's money."

"If you're leaving, then leave everything behind!"

Every relative in the room had their eyes on me, enjoying the spectacle, fully expecting me to cave in and apologize. After all, in their eyes, I was just playing hard to get. Now that I'd been exposed in front of everyone, they thought I was just putting on a stubborn act of leaving to try and salvage some sympathy.

Seeing me standing there in silence, Gwen put on a smug, unsurprised smile. "I knew it. Alright, I'm not trying to make things impossibly difficult for you. As long as you—"

Before she could finish, I flung my coat off and walked over to the side. Then, I opened my suitcase and pulled out a single suit.

It was a suit my parents had custom-made for me before they passed away. They had wanted to see me wear it on the day I got married and started a family on my own. Now, I had no choice but to put it on sooner than planned.

I looked up at Gwen, my gaze ice-cold. "This is the only thing my parents left me. I don't want anything else. Gwen, from this moment on, we're even."

Gwen seemed caught off guard by how resolute I was. She stood frozen in place.

But Keith seized the chance to fan the flames from the sidelines. "Ernest, don't be hasty. Mr. and Mrs. Blanchard were just speaking out of anger. You and Gwen have ten years of history—if you walk away now, what about the wedding?"

Gwen, however, just scoffed dismissively. "Keith, don't bother trying to talk him down. Let him go. His family is gone, so where's he going to go anyway? Besides, the wedding is already set up, and the invitations have all been sent out.

"He clung to me for ten years just to get this chance, so there's no way he'd give it up. I bet you that within a week, he'll come crawling back, begging me to marry him."

I couldn't help but let out a bitter, ironic laugh.

Over the years, I'd lost my parents, sold the house they left me to fund Gwen's business, and even deposited every single paycheck straight into her account.

She was so convinced I'd never leave her that, over the years, she had gotten more and more brazen about staying tangled up with Keith.

But she was wrong. She was never my only choice. And if she had actually cared even a little about our wedding, she would have noticed—when she opened the digital invitation on Instagram—that the bride's name written on it was never hers to begin with.

With that thought in mind, I borrowed a phone on the street and made a call.

In less than 15 minutes, a silver stretch Lincoln pulled up in front of me.

The driver opened the rear door, and a woman in elegant attire stepped out, walking straight up to me. She handed me an expensive suit and a brand-new phone.

"That Gwen must be out of her mind. You two were together for ten years—did she really have to be so heartless? Back then, if it weren't for your research, that joke of a company of hers would have gone under long ago."

"To think I still helped secure funding for her company at your request. She's nothing but an ungrateful wretch. I'll have my assistant, Hayden Callahan, pull the investment first thing when I get back.

"But honestly, it works out perfectly. After you resign, you can come straight to my company as chief researcher. A lot of my staff are in awe of your subculturing technique, and they've all been saying they want to meet you."

I felt a warmth spread through my heart as I looked at the woman standing up for me with such righteous indignation. She was Aurelia Swanson, the heiress of Swanson Group, and the childhood friend who had grown up beside me my entire life.

The current head of the Swanson family and my parents had been close friends from the same generation. The Swansons had ultimately chosen to venture into business, while my parents chose to dedicate their lives to science.

Over the years, Aurelia had gradually taken over the family enterprise. Gwen's company would never have grown into what it was today without her help.

With that thought, I finished changing into the new suit and nodded. "No problem. But more importantly, is everything ready on the wedding side?"

Aurelia's pretty face flushed red. Somewhat shyly, she replied, "Don't worry, everything is all set. My parents will be flying back from abroad too. It's been so many years since they last saw you, and they've been talking about you nonstop."

I felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Ever since my parents passed, Aurelia's parents had treated me like their own son. Years ago, they'd reached out to me with an offer, hoping I'd come work for Swanson Group.

But back then, I had been blinded by Gwen's sweet words and false tenderness, so I had deliberately kept my distance from them.

After this wedding, though, everything would be different.

…

Soon, the day of the wedding arrived.

I had barely reached the hotel entrance when I spotted Gwen and Keith already waiting there.

"Gwen, you were right! Ernest really did show up after all!"

"Of course. He's nothing but my lapdog. Marrying me is the greatest honor of his pathetic life—you think he could ever bring himself to turn me down?"

With that, Gwen sauntered over to me, hands on her hips and her chin held high. "Ernest, weren't you so tough and determined to break up with me? So what are you doing here at the wedding now?"

I frowned slightly and replied flatly, "I'm here to get married, obviously."

Gwen's smile grew even more smug at this. She looked completely unsurprised, like she'd expected it all along.

"I knew it. We've been together for ten years, after all. Seeing as you've served me decently enough, I might consider giving you one more chance. Just sign this prenup, and I might just find it in me to forgive you and walk down the aisle with you."

I glanced at the prenup Gwen handed over. One look was all it took for my vision to go dark.

The prenup specified that I was to voluntarily forfeit all my assets. After the wedding, all property would belong to Gwen. If I ever filed for divorce, I would have to pay ten million dollars in reputational damages.

She even went after the patents for my research achievements, demanding they be transferred to Blanchard Group.

In other words, it wasn't so much a prenup as it was a set of chains.

"I've made my decision," I said calmly.

My quick decisiveness brought a look of pure glee to Gwen's face. "I didn't expect you to be so sensible. Now hurry up and have someone bring the wedding dress over."

"Why would you need a wedding dress?"

Gwen rolled her eyes at me smugly. "You know perfectly well why. I'm the bride—what else would I wear if not a wedding dress?"

I found it laughable. "Since when did I ever say the bride was you?"

"Spare me the reverse psychology crap. It's not like anyone else would ever marry a guy like—"

Before Gwen could finish, a stretch Lincoln pulled up at the hotel entrance. The driver opened the rear door, and Aurelia stepped out in a wedding dress.

She immediately took my hand and said, "Honey, it took a little longer than I thought to change into this dress. I hope you haven't been waiting long."