Chapter 1The Wife Caused Her Biological Daughter to Go Missing, and She Collapsed When the Daughter Was Found

I had endured it for five years, from dating to marriage and having a daughter. My wife, Olivia, always said she had an avoidant personality and tended to run away from intimate relationships.

But I couldn't take it anymore when our daughter, Lily, came home drenched in rain, tearfully saying, "Mom said she had to drop off Uncle Ryan and his daughter Emma, so I had to come home by myself."

When Olivia returned, I confronted her about her actions.

She simply replied, "I don't know how to explain it to you. Think whatever you want."

This time, I couldn't hold back anymore.

Today, I was working overtime at the company. I quickly sent a message to my wife, who was flying back from a trip:

"Honey, I'm working late today. Could you pick up Lily from school?"

As usual, there was no response to my message. The chat history showed only my messages.

I had grown accustomed to her lack of replies, assuming she had seen the message and would pick up our daughter.

At 8 PM, I finished work and returned home to find Lily sitting at the doorstep, crying softly, soaked to the bone.

"Lily, why are you sitting outside? Hasn't Mom come home?" I pulled her up, feeling her ice-cold hands. She must have been sitting there for a long time.

As soon as she saw me, Lily burst into tears and threw herself into my arms.

I quickly carried her inside, grabbing a towel to dry her hair while gently coaxing her to tell me what had happened.

Sobbing, Lily said, "I saw Mom's car at the school gate. I thought she was there to pick me up, but she said she had to drop off Uncle Ryan and his daughter Emma. She said it wasn't on her way and told me to go home by myself."

My heart sank. Ryan was Olivia's ex-boyfriend. How were they in contact again?

At the same time, I felt a chill run through me. Lily was only in first grade. The way home wasn't exactly close. What if something had happened to her?

I remembered when we were dating. Olivia was known for her beauty and was a future pilot. Strangely, she had always been single. Out of curiosity, I pursued her for several months, constantly showing my affection until she finally agreed to be with me.

Later, I learned that her parents had divorced and remarried when she was young, leaving her to grow up alone.

She told me, "I have an avoidant personality. I'm not good at maintaining intimate relationships. If you can accept that, we can be together."

She rarely replied to my messages and was indifferent to my care. When faced with relationship issues, she would either say "Think whatever you want" or avoid the problem with silence.

Because I loved her so much, I still married her. After marriage, we had Lily, and I thought she would be different with our daughter.

I never expected her to do something like this today.

She said she had an avoidant personality, so why was she willing to drive Ryan and his daughter?

Stopping my racing thoughts, I quickly got Lily to take a bath, fearing she might catch a cold. I comforted her, saying that Uncle Ryan might have had an emergency, which was why Mom couldn't bring her home, and that Mom would apologize when she returned.

Lily blinked, clearly not believing me, but she was mature enough not to press further and obediently went to the bathroom.

Late at night, Lily developed a fever from getting caught in the rain, mumbling "Mom" in her delirium.

I gave her some fever medication and put her to bed. Thankfully, she was okay.

But Olivia still hadn't come home.

I sat in the living room, my mind in chaos. When the clock struck one, Olivia finally returned, reeking of alcohol but with clear eyes.

She walked straight to the living room to pour herself some water, showing no intention of explaining herself.

I asked, "Olivia, why are you back so late? Did you go drinking?"

She casually replied, "Yeah, had a few drinks with friends."

I pressed on, "With Ryan, right?"

She turned around, irritated, and said, "Yes, with him. He's my colleague now. Jack, your distrust is putting pressure on me."

It was the same old response. Undeterred, I questioned her about refusing to bring Lily home in the afternoon. After a long pause, her only response was a silent, expressionless stare.

Feeling heartbroken for our daughter, I demanded, "Lily is so young. What if something had happened to her on her way home? Is this how you be a mother?"

She finally snapped, throwing out, "I don't know what to say anymore. Think whatever you want."

Then she shut herself in the study and didn't come out again.

I lay sleepless on the couch until the early hours of the morning, finally drifting off as dawn broke.

The next morning, Olivia was nowhere to be seen.

On the way to drop Lily off at school, she anxiously asked, "Dad, did Mom apologize to me last night?"

Forcing a smile, I lied, "Yes, she did. Mom said she'll buy you your favorite doll when she flies back next time to make it up to you."

Lily immediately brightened up, entering the school with an excited smile.

Watching my daughter's retreating figure, I thought sadly, how long would I have to keep lying to her?