Chapter III

I tossed and turned all night, sleeping fitfully. As soon as the sky turned a pale gray, I left with my suitcase.

I went to City Hall to handle tax changes and update the necessary visas for going abroad.

Because I had expedited approval documents from an international aid organization, the procedures were quick, and the clerk didn't ask many questions.

As I was leaving, the woman suddenly called out to me and pressed a small packet of mints into my hand.

"Safe travels, hero."

I smiled at her gratefully, then found a motel nearby.

After dropping off my luggage, I was just about to go out to find something to eat when I ran headlong into Sophia, Liam, and my in-laws.

Liam was wearing an expensive Italian custom suit, looking radiant, not at all like a dying man.

"Ethan, I thought it was you from a distance, but Sophia insisted you wouldn't appear in this kind of commoner's district," he said.

His gaze fell on the data regarding South American geological structures in my hand, and a meaningful smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, out looking for a job? But with your outdated skills, you probably wouldn't even be hired to move bricks at a construction site, would you?"

I didn't speak. I had just bought the materials at a newsstand.

Seeing my silence, clutching the papers tightly, Liam laughed even more arrogantly.

"You should have said something if you were looking for work; maybe I could help. I know a few friends in renovations. We're all family now. If you do well, Sophia will have someone to rely on when she's old, and I can leave in peace."

To them, my silence was tantamount to admission.

Sophia, originally looking confused, now had a sudden change of expression.

Her brow furrowed, and her eyes were filled with disdain as she looked at me.

"What is there to introduce? You had a perfectly good job as a Chief Structural Engineer and you just had to quit. Now, even if you starve to death on the street, you deserve it. You're not worth sympathizing with."

"Ethan Hunter, you really have no sense of responsibility. Do you think this will force me to give up this child?"

I looked at that familiar face, yet in this moment, it felt incredibly strange.

I remembered when we first got married, I had also considered quitting to go solo due to internal politics at the firm.

At that time, Sophia just held me, patted my back gently, and whispered in my ear:

"Husband and wife are one heart. Whatever decision you make, I support you."

"Resigning is no big deal. I believe your talent is priceless. Darling, I will always be with you."

But the person who said she would always be with me was now allowing another man to humiliate me.

She had forgotten the words she once said to me, and seemingly forgotten the deep love she once held for me.

Even my parents-in-law shook their heads in disappointment.

"We were truly blind back then to want to entrust our daughter's lifelong happiness to you!"

"Thank god we're still here. If we weren't, who knows how you'd bully our daughter."

Their words became increasingly outrageous, drawing curious glances from passersby.

My hands, hanging by my sides, slowly clenched into fists.

Just as I was about to speak, Liam suddenly stepped forward.

"We're going to take a family portrait. Why don't you come along, Ethan? After all, Sophia and the child will still need your care in the days to come."

Sophia immediately cut him off with a cold snort.

"Look at his shabby appearance; he'll only lower the class of our family portrait."

With that, she turned and walked toward the high-end photography studio, not forgetting to urge Liam to keep up.

"We're leaving then. Won't keep you from job hunting," Liam said, patting my shoulder meaningfully.

Watching his retreating back, I felt surprisingly calm inside.

In the eyes of outsiders, what a harmonious family they must seem.

If this was exactly what Sophia wanted, why shouldn't I grant her wish and offer my blessings?