"You might as well just give up."

I listened to his voice repeatedly as I looked at my childhood friend, Renee Ryder, sitting beside me with a worried expression.

"Phillip, about the child, are you really not planning to tell Jocelyn?"

She said, "If you say the embryo transfer is successful and you two will have a child, I believe Jocelyn will come back."

"No, I don't want it anymore." I looked at the photos the hospital sent.

In a small petri dish.

It was the child of Jocelyn and me, the continuation of our love that we had longed for for so many years. But now, suddenly, I didn't want to be a father anymore. I didn't want my child to grow up with the same broken childhood trauma as me.

I told Renee, "From the moment she chose Alexander, from the moment she agreed to be his son's mother--"

"She no longer deserves to be the mother of my child."

I had just come out of the doctor's office when I saw Jocelyn, who had accompanied Alden to the hospital. She saw me, instinctively letting go of Alden's hand and calling out to me.

"Phillip!"

"What are you doing here?"

She saw the test result in my hand and questioned me as she was about to come closer.

"Are you sick?"

"Where do you feel unwell? Why didn't you tell me?"

However, before I could answer, Alexander immediately gave his son a push and he cried as he grabbed Jocelyn's hand.

"Mommy."

"My tummy hurts," Alden said, pulling hard on her to stop her from coming closer, "Waaah, my tummy hurts so much."

I watched as hesitation flashed in her eyes and finally, she picked up the child, struggling to look at me.

"Honey, things have priorities, you should understand."

She turned to leave.

I just found it ridiculous.

Renee, holding the payment slip, saw this scene and, in a fit of rage, rushed over and started yelling.

"You bastard!"

"You dare show your face here!"

"Shameless!" Renee lunged to grab Jocelyn. “Too busy for your husband but got time for a bastard, huh?"

She grabbed Jocelyn and shouted. "Don't go! Do you even know what Phillip is—"

"I'm not a bastard!"

Alden struggled to get down from Jocelyn's arms and rushed towards Renee. Renee couldn't dodge in time, but I pulled and pushed her away forcefully. I was hit in the stomach by his hard head and the pain spread throughout my body. My back hit the wall and I fell to the ground, trembling with pain.

Alden, however, persisted, stomping on my stomach.

"You bastard!"