I poured all the resources I had into helping her chase her entrepreneurial dreams.

But right before our wedding, she told me she didn't want kids, which meant no intimacy for us.

Respecting her wishes, I held back for two years, leaving our bedroom cold and empty.

Then last year, she suddenly got passionate. She was crawling into bed with me at night, demanding my attention like I was her lifeline.

I was thrilled, thinking that after all these years, my devotion to her had finally touched her.

I doted on her even more, treating her like a queen.

Not long after, she dropped the news—she was pregnant.

I was over the moon and announced it to everyone that very night.

But looking back now, her sudden affection was just a ploy to legitimize the child she was carrying back then.

To her, I was nothing more than a walking bank account, and even talking to me was a favor.

Staring at the woman I once loved with all my heart, a wave of bitterness crashed over me.

Was this really the reward for all those years of my loyalty?

I wanted to speak up, but her phone buzzed before I could find the words.

She answered the call and abruptly stood up, grabbing her things and bolting for the door.

Just as she placed her hand on the doorknob, she seemed to remember something and glanced back at me.

"Edmund had an accident. I need to check on him. I can't stay with you tonight," Ophelia said, her voice a mix of urgency and guilt.

I managed a half-hearted smile and replied, "Go on. If something's wrong, you should be there."

Before I could say anything else, she was out the door.

Staring at the now-empty apartment, I suddenly felt a sense of release.

After she left, I began packing my stuff. I called my mother-in-law and asked her to come pick up Ollie.

By the time I zipped up my suitcase, the doorbell rang.

Opening the door, I was met with Ophelia's mom, her expression as cold as a winter wind.

"A full-grown man without a job, and you can't even take care of your own kid?!"

"We never wanted her to marry you in the first place. If she'd gone for a rich guy, none of this would be happening."

"Now I've gotta come out in the middle of the night to pick up my own grandson!"

She'd always looked down on me like I was just a weed in her garden.

What she didn't realize was that selling my company was what helped her daughter rise to where she is.

But explaining all that now would just be a waste of time.