When the Vows Turned to Ashes

The day my wife gave birth, my mother-in-law held her hand, comforting her gently.

"Lianyi, don't worry. Your dad and Siming are keeping guard right outside the delivery room. There's no way he can come here and make a scene."

Yet, even after the baby's first cry echoed through the ward, I never showed up.

My wife was thrilled. She assumed I had finally learned my place, that I wouldn't make an unreasonable fuss over her lifelong crush anymore.

She had never understood my pain. In her eyes, she was merely preserving her crush's bloodline, so why couldn't I be more considerate?