Chapter 2

If Eric had never seen my diary, maybe I could have kept pretending.

Pretending that what I felt was nothing more than a child’s dependence on his father.

But Eric did see it.

The moment he finished reading, he slapped me across the face.

The sound echoed sharply through the room.

He looked at me with pure disgust and shouted—

“I regret ever adopting a freak like you. Neither man nor woman—what the hell are you?”

I wanted to explain. I really did. But my mind had gone completely blank. I couldn’t even form a proper sentence.

All I could do was bend over, shaking, repeating the same words again and again like a broken machine.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I shouldn’t have liked you.”

But Eric’s anger didn’t fade.

The very next day, he removed me from my position within the Family.

Under the excuse of “starting from the bottom to gain experience,” he sent me overseas—to the Miller Family’s branch company in Kiribati, appointing me as its general manager.

In fact, it was nothing more than exile.

He even assigned bodyguards to watch me, ensuring I had no real contact with the outside world.

One month after I arrived abroad, I saw the news. Eric Miller and Julia Smith—political marriage confirmed.

Only then did I finally understand. Eric hadn’t stayed single all those years because he couldn’t find the right woman. He already had one. His true love had always been Julia. Adopting me had simply been a way to silence the old Don’s constant pressure to marry and produce an heir.

I watched the news clip over and over again.

In the video, when Eric looked at Julia, his gaze was gentle—almost tender.

It was a look I had never seen directed at me.

That was the moment I understood.

The only woman Eric Miller would ever love was Julia.

“Noah, get in the car.”

David’s voice pulled me back to reality.

I nodded and climbed into the car, still holding the sleeping Lily in my arms.

When David noticed her, he froze for a moment.

“Your daughter?”

I quickly made a quiet gesture, afraid his voice might wake her.

After placing Lily carefully on the back seat, I settled into the passenger seat before answering softly.

“Yes. My daughter.”

David opened his mouth as if he wanted to ask something else. Was she born by you? Or with another woman?

I turned my head toward the window, pretending to watch the passing streets.

I had no intention of answering.

Sensing that, David didn’t press further.

When the car finally stopped, I looked up—and froze.

This hotel. It was the same place where Eric and Julia had gotten married.

Every year since then, Eric held a grand anniversary celebration here for her. He personally selected her gifts each time.

I had to admit— Eric truly loved Julia. Perhaps the only reason he allowed me to return to Manhattan this year was so I could witness their happiness with my own eyes.

I reached into the back seat to pick up Lily. As I turned around, I suddenly saw someone walking toward me from the roadside.

Julia.

She smiled warmly as she approached.

Unlike my worn-out, travel-stained appearance, Julia looked flawless. She wore a custom-made evening gown and matching designer jewelry. The perfume drifting from her body was the newest Bvlgari release.

Everything about her radiated the confidence of a woman who was deeply loved and carefully cherished.

When Julia reached my side, she stared at Lily in surprise—much like David had earlier.

But unlike David, she didn’t know the truth.

She didn’t know that I had once been a man.

Eric never wanted Julia to know he had adopted such a “disgusting freak.”

So he allowed her to believe I had always been a woman.

Her gaze fell on Lily’s sleeping face, and she scolded me lightly.

“Noah, you secretly had a baby overseas and didn’t even tell me?”

“I’ve been married to your father for years now. Don’t you consider me family?”

Before I could answer, Lily was suddenly lifted out of my arms.

The sudden movement woke her immediately. She burst into tears, tiny fists flailing as she hit Julia’s shoulder.

“Waaah—!”

I hurriedly took Lily back, holding her close while patting her back and humming softly to calm her down.

Julia knew about the feelings I once had for Eric—the ones I could never speak aloud.

And honestly, now that I had returned to Manhattan, the last thing I wanted was to get entangled with Julia again.

But Julia seemed stubborn.

Even as Lily cried in my arms, she still reached out, insisting on holding her.