A Burden from the Past

But my heart ached seeing his exhausted face after he’d stayed up all night with our feverish son, so I was the one who told him to go out and relax.

I never imagined that my kindness was simply giving Caleb and Chloe the perfect cover for a romantic getaway.

With a trembling hand, I held my phone and clicked on the longest video.

The video began with a piercing cry that filled the room. I recognized it immediately. It was my son, Miles's cry.

My fingers shaking, I fast-forwarded the video.

Chloe's cloying voice came through. "Are you sure about this... this desensitization thing? Is it really okay to try it on him?"

Caleb answered nonchalantly, almost with a smile, "What's there to be afraid of? We have a professional nurse right here. If he can't even overcome this little challenge, how is he going to inherit my business empire in the future?"

In the past, I had always thought Caleb was a good father. From his initial clumsiness to his later skill at changing diapers and preparing formula.

Especially after he started "working overtime," he seemed even more attentive and experienced with the baby.

That's why I felt safe letting him take our son out alone.

I never thought he could be so cruel to his own flesh and blood.

In the video, Caleb forcibly pried open our son's mouth, while Chloe calmly stuffed a spoonful of peanut butter into his tiny mouth.

My son's cries grew weaker, and my heart ached so much I could barely breathe. I wished I could break through the screen and kill that pair with my own hands.

Just then, my phone rang.

I answered, and Chloe's cloyingly sweet and excited voice came through the receiver, "Mrs. Hayes, the housewarming party might be moved up. My future mother-in-law specially chose a date for us. We'll have the party in three days. The timing is perfect; it'll bring us good luck."

Almost simultaneously, Caleb sent me a text.

"Jules, there's a closed-door training session at the company. I might have to leave as early as tomorrow. You and our son be good at home. I'll bring back gifts for you."

I looked at my phone's wallpaper, a picture of my son sleeping peacefully, his face soft and innocent, and I suddenly smiled.

Since my husband's housewarming party was about to be held, how could I, his legal spouse and the chief designer of this mansion, be absent?

...

I flew to Lake Serenity ahead of Caleb.

As soon as I landed and turned on my phone, his message popped up. "Jules, how are you and our son?"

I expressionlessly sent back a photo of myself with our son.

He replied almost instantly, "Our son looks great. Jules, you're beautiful too. I don't even want to go to this training. I just want to come home and be with you two."

I stared at the words, a faint, cold smile playing on my lips.

That photo was from last month. Back then, I wasn't this thin. And my son was much smaller than he is now.

Caleb had taken the photo himself, yet he didn't notice a thing.

...

On the day of the party, I stood in the mansion's smart control room as the chief designer.