Chapter 2

I liked both Damien and Serenity's social media posts.

I even left a comment: "Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together."

It was just a simple reply to their posts.

Nothing out of the ordinary.

To my surprise, Serenity called me specifically about this.

"Why did you send us well-wishes? Are you really that bothered by this? Didn't I already explain everything to you before? We're just putting on an act..."

"Can you stop being so passive-aggressive? It's making us both uncomfortable."

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say anything, I heard Damien's voice on the other end:

"Darling, I forgot to bring my towel in. Could you grab one for me?"

Serenity hastily said: "Stop being so paranoid. I'm still your darling. In a few years, when the public has mostly forgotten about this, we can get married then. Isn't that good?"

With that, she hung up the phone.

I remained silent for a moment, then suddenly noticed that Serenity had changed her profile picture.

It was a couple's matching picture.

I remember when many women used to change their profile pictures to couple's photos when they were in relationships. Back then, I had asked her why she never wanted to do that with me.Serenity simply said, "That's something only little girls would do. I'm too mature for such childish antics now."

Yet five years later, she's doing exactly that with Damien.

Five years ago, she wasn't immature. Now, she's regressed into childishness.

I've only just realized that it all boils down to whether one wants to or not.

I turned off my phone and went straight to bed.

When I woke up, I found she had sent me numerous messages.

Whether out of guilt or something else, she kept trying to strike up conversations with me, but I didn't respond to a single one.

Looking at all these messages, I finally replied with one line: "Went to bed early last night, didn't see your messages."

She didn't reply, and I knew she was probably busy, so I didn't expect much.

But the next second, there was an urgent knocking at my front door.

I went to open it and saw an angry Serenity standing there.

As soon as she saw me, she demanded, "Why didn't you reply to my messages? I sent you so many, and you didn't respond to a single one."

I calmly said, "I did reply. You just didn't see it."Serenity finally picked up her phone and glanced at it. Though the anger on her face had lessened, there was still a hint of reproach.

"Zoran, how could you become like this? We've explained everything to you so clearly. Why do you always have to be so passive-aggressive? It's really uncomfortable for everyone to see."

"I know you're feeling bad, but do you think we're feeling any better? Your behavior is making all of us unhappy."

Seeing my silence, Serenity grew more confident and continued her endless tirade.

"Because of what happened last night, Damien couldn't sleep all night. You should explain yourself to Damien later."

After saying this, she suddenly noticed our old photos together. She picked up the frame and tossed it into the trash can.

Along with it, she dug out many other things and threw them all into the garbage.

"It wouldn't be good if people saw these things in the future."

Is it not good for others to see, or not good for Damien to see?

But these things, I was going to throw them away sooner or later anyway.

Just like our relationship, it's now worthless, and its only place is in the trash can.

I said calmly, "Yeah, I was going to throw them out eventually anyway."Serenity was taken aback for a moment, clearly this wasn't the reaction she had expected.

In her eyes, I should have been upset because of her, angry and argumentative.

I should have demanded to know where I stood in her heart.

Like a madman - that's how I should have reacted.

But I won't be like that anymore.

Suddenly, Serenity's expression became uncomfortable.

"Actually, it doesn't have to be thrown away. You could just keep it out of sight."

"No need. It might still be seen even if I put it away. It's better to get rid of it."

Serenity pursed her lips, about to offer some words of comfort, when her phone rang.

It was Damien calling.

"Darling, our son is asking you to come home. Where did you go?"

His voice was particularly affectionate as he called her 'darling'.

Serenity turned away, "Okay, I'll be right back."

When she looked back at me, her face was awkward as she explained: "Don't overthink it. I'll bring the kids to see you tomorrow. Remember, we're the ones who are truly family."

The children are my only remaining attachment to them now.

For that child, I've invested a lot of hope.He's never been close to me, though. He's formed a real family unit with Serenity and Damien instead.

I can't really blame him. After all, we were apart for over four years, so it's natural that he's not close to me.

The next day.

I prepared a table full of delicious food and bought lots of toys, just waiting for Serenity to bring our son home.

I sat on the couch waiting for more than two hours, but they didn't show up.

Unable to resist, I messaged her to check, "Have you guys left yet?"

"We've left."

No extra words, just those three short ones.

But after that message, I waited another three hours.

The food had long since gone cold, and mealtime had passed hours ago.

It was getting late outside.

I figured they probably weren't coming anymore.

I sat at the table and silently started eating.

After finishing, I cleared all the dishes away.

I didn't have much expectation for Serenity, but for my child, I truly wanted to be good to him, to make up for the gap of these past four years.

After I finished washing the dishes, there was suddenly a knock at the door.

I opened it to find Serenity had brought our son over.

He stood in the doorway, hesitating to come inside.

"Mommy, I want to go home.""Jaxon, this is our home, and this is your dad. Go on, call him Dad."

My son looked at me with disgust. "He's been to prison. I don't have a father like that. I only have one dad, and it's not him. Mom, I want to go home."

Serenity glanced at me awkwardly. "Don't take what the little one says too seriously. He just needs time to adjust."

A sharp pain stabbed through my heart. This was my son, and yet he despised me so much.

We'd rarely met, so for him to say such things, it must be that people at home had been talking this way about me. He'd absorbed it all, which explained his attitude towards me.

"I understand," I choked out, trying to stay calm.

In this home, the only thing I couldn't bear to part with was my son.

But I never expected him to have this kind of attitude.

Serenity noticed my dejection and tugged on our son's arm. "Jaxon, say hello to your dad."