Chapter 2

Ethan's POV

By the time I came downstairs, the lights in the banquet hall were blindingly bright.

Emily was waiting for me at the side of the stage. Seeing my expression, she reached out to steady me.

"Ethan, are you feeling unwell?"

I looked at her belly, then at Tristan standing behind her.

Tristan was holding a glass of wine, also looking at me.

His face was clean, as if he hadn't entered the master bedroom last night at all.

The host invited us onto the stage.

Emily took my arm and faced the room full of friends and family, her voice gentle.

"Tonight, there's also some good news. I'm three months pregnant."

Applause immediately filled the room.

Linda smiled with red-rimmed eyes. The Hayes family applauded while urging me to say a few words.

Emily continued, "This child is the greatest gift of Ethan's and my marriage."

She spoke so calmly.

You'd never know about the security footage. Never guess about the words in the hallway. "You know better than anyone how this child came to be."

Tristan raised his glass with a smile.

"Emily, Ethan, congratulations."

Everyone was looking at me, waiting for me to say I was going to be a father.

Emily's fingers pressed lightly against my arm.

I took the microphone and only said, "Tonight is indeed very important."

I handed the microphone back.

The atmosphere stiffened for a moment.

Emily quickly smiled and covered for me.

"That's just how Ethan is. The happier he is, the less he can say."

The room laughed again.

No one knew my hands had already gone cold and stiff.

The party continued.

Family members gathered around Emily. Some asked who would accompany her to the next checkup, others said the nursery should be changed to the south-facing room, and some were already calculating who would wait at the hospital when the baby was born.

Emily answered everything smoothly.

I stood nearby, and with every sentence I heard, I thought of Tristan's words: "He can't be the only one the kid calls 'Dad.'"

I went to the terrace.

I had just stopped when Tristan came over with a glass of wine.

"Ethan, congratulations."

Tristan's voice was very low.

"But why didn't you bring out the anniversary ring tonight? I saw it in the study."

I turned to look at him.

Tristan smiled slightly, his gaze falling on Emily's belly inside the banquet hall.

"That ring is quite a pity. But what Emily should be wearing tonight might not be something you gave her."

He paused, his smile deepening.

"Something from the child's real father would be more appropriate."

My grip on the wine glass tightened sharply.

But Tristan stepped back.

"Don't be angry. There are too many people here tonight. If you make a scene, the one who'll be embarrassed is Emily, and the child. You wouldn't want the child to be called dirty before it's even born, would you?"

I set my wine glass down on the terrace edge.

The base struck the stone surface with a crisp sound.

After the party ended, Linda brought a trust document for the child to me.

"Ethan, sign this. It specifies which school the child will attend, where they'll live, which funds will be used for medical care. Everything's written out in advance so there's no confusion later."

I opened the document.

Tristan's name was written clearly in the "Long-term Care Participant" section.

I stared at those words and let out a short laugh.

Linda frowned. "What are you laughing at?"

I ignored her and looked at Emily instead.

"Did you know about this?"

Emily paused for a second.

That second was enough.

She said, "I knew, but this doesn't affect your status as the father."

I pushed the document in front of her.

"Status as the father?"

Emily's expression changed slightly.

The Hayes family immediately chimed in.

"Tristan was ruined back then for Emily's sake. Now, before the child is even born, you're already shutting him out. Isn't that inappropriate?"

Tristan sat to one side and said quietly, "Forget it. Emily, don't argue because of me. I shouldn't have asked for these things in the first place."

Linda's heart ached even more.

"Look how understanding he is."

Emily reached out to take my hand.

"Ethan, you can take your time reviewing the document. Tristan won't take anything away from you. He just needs to be accepted by this family."

I pulled my hand back.

I closed the document without signing.

"I'm tired."

With that, I turned and went upstairs.

I stopped at the master bedroom door.

This used to be the place where I felt most at ease.

Emily had refused to let relatives stay over, and she had refused to let the elders come in and redecorate.

She said the master bedroom belonged only to the two of us.

Now the door was closed, but all I could see was the image of Tristan walking out of it in the early morning.

Emily came after me, softening her voice.

"Ethan, you're being too sensitive tonight. Tristan won't affect us, and he won't affect the child calling you Dad."

Every sentence she spoke avoided the question of how the child came to be.

I asked, "Does Tristan come to our house often?"

Emily's eyes flickered.

"Occasionally."

She said, "His right hand isn't convenient. My mother worries he'll have an accident alone, so sometimes she has him come over for a meal or rest in the guest room for a while."

"The guest room?"

"Yes, just the guest room."

Emily immediately responded, "Don't make it sound so ugly."

I looked at her for a long time.

If it weren't for that security footage, I might have actually believed her.

I turned and entered the guest room.

The moment the door closed, I opened my phone and saved the security backup, the trust document, and the access log pages.

Outside the window, Tristan still hadn't left.

He stood at the gate, looking up at the second floor.

Through the darkness, he slowly raised his glass toward where I was.