Chapter 2

My dad left the room and locked the door behind him. By the time the night was over, the effects of the drug had already worn off. When Liam woke up, he declared coldly, "I'll take responsibility for what happened, Yvonne. Let's get married." I thought Liam and I were going to lead a happy life together. But one day, at a get-together, I overheard a conversation between him and one of his friends. "Stop being so ungrateful, Liam," his friend said. "Yvonne is rich and attractive. More importantly, she's in love with you. You should settle down and lead a happy life with her." Taking a puff of his cigarette, Liam scoffed. "I used to like her—before I found out she was such a sleazy woman. The fact that she drugged me and threw herself at me makes me sick." Before I could come up with a proper explanation, Liam had applied for a foreign visa and left the country just six months later. Then, I realized I was pregnant from the night we spent together. After giving birth to our daughter, Ivy, I patiently waited for him to return. But to my dismay, Liam chose instead to devote his time and energy into caring for Amy and Jenna. Our home felt incredibly empty. I was just about to give him a call when the bedroom door flew open. Liam entered and glanced at Ivy, who was fast asleep. Then, he casually said, "Jenna wants to come over tomorrow. You and Ivy should go somewhere else during her visit." Noticing the confusion on my face, he smirked. "Jenna doesn't like sharing. She can't stand it when another girl calls me 'Dad.'" I couldn't hold back my anger any longer. Furious, I scoffed and snapped, "Do you even know who your actual daughter is, Liam Jenkins? At preschool today, Ivy was—" Before I could finish, Liam cut me off with a frown. "I don't need you to remind me, Yvonne. I'm sorry about what happened at the preschool, but Jenna needed someone at her parent-teacher meeting too. Ever since the divorce, Amy's been struggling to raise her alone. "Besides, I promised Amy I'd protect her long before you came into the picture. I've already given you what you wanted—I married you. So, don't try to stop me from caring about her and Jenna. I owe them that much." With that, he took off his jacket and headed to the bathroom. Moments later, I heard the sound of running water. I felt helpless and dejected. If I'd known things would turn out this way, I never would've given in that night. Smiling bitterly, I stared at the divorce agreement I had just drafted on my laptop. If it weren't for Ivy, I would've filed for divorce long ago. But every time I saw how sad she looked, I found myself trying to salvage our marriage all over again. I didn't want her to lose her father at such a young age. … The next morning, Ivy woke up bright and early. When she found out Liam had come home, she jumped out of bed in excitement. "I want to show Daddy the drawing I just made!" she exclaimed gleefully. Since children were relatively forgetful, Ivy had already forgiven Liam for what had happened at the preschool yesterday. She ran downstairs, only to find Amy and Jenna in the house too. Liam was gently helping Jenna peel an orange. "Who are these people, Daddy?" she asked. Once Liam realized that Ivy was still at home, he immediately frowned and asked, "Why are you still here? Where's your mother?" Despite feeling slightly intimidated by Liam's demeanor, Ivy still carefully handed her drawing to him. It was a family portrait of us, and she'd been working on it for an entire week. "I drew a family portrait of us. I wanted to give it to you when you came back—" Before Ivy could give Liam her artwork, someone snatched it right out of her hands. "What a stupid drawing!" Stomping her feet, Jenna tore the drawing in half. Then, she shoved Ivy before arrogantly placing her hands on her hips. "He's my dad—not yours!" she yelled. "Everyone in class says you're a bastard, Ivy Jenkins. Who gave you the right to address him as your dad?"