Liam instantly breathed a sigh of relief, even bursting into tears of joy, and leaned down to kiss my forehead fiercely. The kiss carried the scent of his cedarwood, but it only made my stomach churn. I stiffened, forcing a docile smile, but my eyes were desolate—my heart had already been shattered the moment I overheard the conversation in the study and saw his indulgence of Vanessa.
Unable to contain his excitement, his tone lightened slightly: "I knew you were the most sensible. I'll go discuss your follow-up treatment with the doctor and finalize the adoption while I'm at it." With that, he turned and left, his steps hurried, without looking back, as if he couldn't bear to stay even a second longer.
The moment the door was pushed open, I clearly caught a glimpse of Vanessa leaning against the door. She was wearing an exquisite dress, her makeup was glamorous, and she was staring at me with those provocative and smug eyes, a victor's smile curving her lips, as if to boast—look, Liam is mine after all.
I looked away, pretending not to see him, but my fingertips trembled uncontrollably. Once the door was completely closed, I immediately reached for Liam's phone, which he had left on the bedside table. In seven years of marriage, I had never touched his phone. He always said, "Mutual trust is the most important thing," and even his unlock password had always been my birthday.
As I pressed the password, the screen lit up, and a glaring image pierced my eyes—the wallpaper was no longer our family photo, but a picture of Liam, Vanessa, and Zeke. In the photo, Liam was holding Zeke, smiling gently, while Vanessa nestled on his shoulder; the three of them looked so happy and harmonious that it was almost blinding.
I forced back the sharp pain in my chest and opened his chat history with Vanessa. The chat box was filled with dense messages and thousands of photos, all of his daily life with Zeke—Zeke's first time rolling over, his first words, his first steps, he had carefully recorded every moment, and every word was full of fatherly love.