Chapter 3The Wife Caused Her Biological Daughter to Go Missing, and She Collapsed When the Daughter Was Found

For the past few days, I hadn't messaged Olivia, who had left home. Her suggestion of divorce had extinguished any lingering hope I had.

I suddenly didn't know why I had persisted in loving her. Perhaps she never needed it.

When we were dating, my friends gently warned me that if a man is too devoted, a woman might not appreciate him.

I didn't believe it then, thinking it was just because of her family background and that Olivia wasn't inherently cold.

I made sure she received all the usual gifts and companionship, no less than anyone else would. She was just too avoidant when it came to emotions.

Ryan was her first love. She had actively pursued him, but in the end, Ryan said they weren't compatible and broke up. After graduation, he married and had a daughter. Now, it seemed he was divorced.

Maybe with Ryan, the unattainable was appealing to her. Watching from afar made it seem better.

But I couldn't tolerate any doubt in our relationship. If she was truly wavering, there was no point in forcing her to stay.

But what about Lily? Would divorce harm her?

Olivia didn't truly not love Lily. When Lily was younger, the gentle look in Olivia's eyes as she held and fed her couldn't be faked.

Materially, Olivia always did her best to give Lily the best of everything.

But the way she treated Lily now had hurt our daughter deeply.

That night, Lily asked me if I had lied to her, saying that Mom hadn't apologized or promised to buy her a gift.

I apologized to her, and she hugged me, saying it was okay. She just wanted Mom to be with her.

She loved her mom very much but had to be understanding because Mom was so busy.

If we really left Olivia, Lily might be very upset.

That afternoon after work, I bought Lily's favorite doll and went to pick her up.

After waiting for a while without seeing her come out, I called her teacher. The teacher was surprised, saying, "Lily didn't come to school today. Her mother called in sick for her, saying she was taking her out."

Olivia had taken her out to play? Why didn't she tell me?

Was she trying to make it up to Lily by taking her out?

Although I felt uneasy, she was still the child's mother. It might be good for them to spend some time together.

Late that night, mother and daughter still hadn't returned home.

Getting anxious, I called Olivia directly. She answered, sounding out of breath as if she was running.

"What's wrong? Where's Lily? Let me talk to her," I asked.

She paused, then said in a low voice, "Something happened. I'll have her call you later."

I pressed her to tell me what had happened.

After a long silence, she finally replied, "Lily is missing. We're looking for her now."

It felt like a bolt of lightning had struck me. I nearly collapsed, barely managing to ask for their location before rushing over.

They were in the neighboring city. I took the fastest high-speed train and went straight to the police station.

To my surprise, Ryan and his daughter were there too.

Seeing my pale face, Olivia grabbed me and said, "Jack, calm down. Lily will be fine. The police have checked the surveillance cameras and are searching for her."

I couldn't calm down at all. Ryan approached, looking guilty: "It's all my fault. I mentioned that Emma was lonely and thought it would be nice if Lily could play with her. That's why Olivia brought her along. We never expected Lily to disappear while we were shopping in the mall."

Olivia couldn't meet my eyes, burying her head in my chest, trying to comfort me.

I pushed her away forcefully, glaring at her with fury.

For the sake of Ryan's child, she had secretly taken Lily out and lost her.

What kind of mother was she?

"If anything happens to Lily, none of you will get away with this. Once we find Lily, let's get divorced, Olivia."

"As you wish. We'll set you free."