Virginia's lips curled into a smile, but the sorrow in her eyes was unmistakable.
"You don’t have to worry about Cassie once she’s in the Stuart family. If there’s anything that needs handling, just send me a message."
She paused for a moment before handing over a small gift box.
"By the way, I just bought this watch. Consider it a wedding gift."
Hugh accepted the box, blinking playfully.
"Another gift? How many wedding presents have you given me in just a year of marriage? The cloakroom can’t even fit them all. If Bryan finds out, he definitely won’t be happy."
Despite his words, he made no effort to refuse the gift.
Beside him, Cassie grinned and threw herself into his arms, calling him "Daddy" over and over again.
Just then, the dean, busy with the adoption paperwork, rushed toward me and pushed open the door.
A flicker of panic flashed across Virginia’s face.
"Bryan, why are you here?"
She quickly composed herself and added, "Don’t overthink it. Hugh is just a volunteer at this welfare home. He happened to be here today while I was finalizing Cassie’s adoption…"
Hugh stood up with Cassie still in his arms and waved at me.
"Bryan, long time no see."
Sitting in my wheelchair, I forced a smile and swallowed the resentment rising in my chest.
"It’s fine. I was just out for a walk. Since you’re busy, I won’t bother you. I’ll wait in the car."
Without waiting for a response, I turned and wheeled myself away.
Virginia must have thought I was upset because she hurried after me, explaining anxiously.
"Don’t misunderstand. He comes here often to sponsor activities. The kids in the home call him ‘Dad’ all the time. Once the adoption is finalized, I’ll make sure Cassie understands."
Watching her so desperate to reassure me, I almost wanted to laugh.
Just to give this child a legitimate status, she had gone as far as orchestrating a car accident that left me disabled.
Now that she had everything she wanted, what was the point of feeling wronged?
"Don’t worry. I’m not an unreasonable person," I said lightly. "Go finish the paperwork. I’ll wait in the car."
Relief flooded her face as she watched me leave.
As I sat in the car, every employee who passed by glanced at me with barely concealed ridicule in their eyes.
I ignored them and quietly pulled out my phone, canceling the documents online.
That evening, to celebrate Cassie’s arrival, the Stuart family hosted a family dinner.
I excused myself, claiming I wasn’t feeling well, and stayed upstairs.
But even from behind my closed door, I could hear Virginia’s parents downstairs, their mocking laughter seeping through the cracks.
I moved my wheelchair to the staircase and stopped at the corner, looking down at the warm, happy scene below.
A picture-perfect family of three.
Virginia thoughtfully placed Cassie’s favorite food onto her plate. Hugh chuckled, teasing her.
"You’re going to spoil her at this rate."
Virginia just smiled and gently fixed the tiny crown on Cassie’s head.
"My daughter deserves to have the whole world."
The grievance I had buried deep inside me for years surged up all at once.
I turned back to my room and tore apart everything Virginia had given me over the past five years, throwing them into the trash.
The moment the trash can tipped over, Hugh appeared in front of me.
Without warning, he kicked my wheelchair.
Pain shot through my body, cold sweat breaking out across my skin. But Hugh only grinned.
"Bryan, it must be miserable to live like this, huh?"
"After all these years, you’re still just as useless."
"Watching your own wedding be taken from you, watching your wife bring my daughter home—and you still have to endure it all? Honestly, I almost feel sorry for you."
I gritted my teeth and forced myself to move.
But before I could react, Hugh suddenly staggered backward—then tumbled straight down the stairs.
Virginia’s panicked scream echoed through the house.
Before I could even process what had happened, she was already cradling him in her arms.
When she turned to look at me, her eyes blazed with fury.
"Bryan, what the hell are you doing? Are you insane?"
"Hugh just came to invite you to dinner—what right did you have to push him?"
