Chapter 3

I thought I’d feel heartache from her sarcasm again, but I was incredibly calm.

Watching her run upstairs, I spoke in French.

"Alright, I will leave."

As soon as those words fell, her tiny figure whipped around, her face frozen in shock as if she’d seen a ghost.

She hurriedly tapped her smartwatch to send a message to her mom in French.

"Mom, Mom, it’s bad, this old man understands French."

Within seconds, a voice message came back.

It was Evan, clearly dismissive, "Lily, what nonsense are you spouting! Your dad’s been bankrupt for years, how could he have had a chance to learn French?"

"Behave yourself, don’t disturb your mom and me these days."

"I’ll bring you some treats next time."

Lily scrutinized me with a tense little face, and seeing I had no reaction, she tossed aside what I’d said and happily replied.

"Okay, Uncle, have fun with Mommy."

"Hope you two have a pretty sister for me soon."

These days I keep thinking about my past with Daphne, and after thinking, I force myself to forget.

Lily's room was filled with the sounds of video games, and I didn’t confiscate her console or urge her to sleep early as I used to.

Nor did I remind her to do her homework, which the teacher would check tomorrow.

Since she hates me so much, I might as well not be her dad.

But I thought for days and couldn’t figure out why Daphne's acting skill was so perfect.

At two in the morning, I received another taunting message from Evan.

"Declan, my sister's been bugging me these days, she’s really greedy, aren’t you up for it?"

"She also said you don’t interest her at all."

Along with the message was a photo.

Daphne stood in front of him, his large hands ambiguously slipping into her collar, eyes filled with unmistakable desire.

I self-destructively looked at it countless times, my heart feeling like it was being squeezed to burst, an indescribable pain.

At 2 AM, I was hit with another taunting message from Logan Parker.

"Declan Harris, my sister's been driving me crazy lately. She's so insatiable, are you really not up for it?"

"She even said you don't interest her in the slightest."

Attached to the message was a photo.

Daphne was standing in front of him, his large hands suggestively slipping into her collar, his eyes filled with an undeniable lust.

I compulsively watched it over and over, feeling as if my heart was being squeezed to the point of bursting, a pain beyond words.

Gazing at the bleak moonlight outside, I recalled the time the Harris family went bankrupt. My fiancée abandoned me, and I was left with nothing. Then Daphne appeared by my side like a savior, helping me pay off debts, aiding my comeback.

Back then, I truly believed that she, with her paralyzed legs, was my salvation.

For seven years, she showered me with affection. People called her a husband-loving fanatic, loving me to the core.

I thought so, too, and I let go of my pride, caring for her, cooking for her for seven whole years.

But the truth was, she professed her love for me while being tangled with her non-blood-related brother.

Even worse, it was only recently that I discovered she had been hiding countless encounters over these seven years, giving all her true affection to Logan Parker.