Ethan slowly grew accustomed to Ivy’s absence, and accustomed to the presence of Selena and Sierra.

He even started to feel that this wasn't so bad.

Until a team dinner, where he drank too much.

Returning to the dorm, he caught a glimpse of Selena’s phone screen before she could hide it.

An ambiguous message stood out clearly.

【Baby, when are you coming back? Our usual spot, I miss you.】

The sender was the "ex-husband she had divorced long ago and never had contact with."

In the next second, all the alcohol in Ethan’s system vanished completely.

Chapter 8

That ambiguous message pierced Ethan’s heart like a blade, jolting him awake from his month-long numbness.

Ethan watched as Selena quickly deleted the message and then flashed him a perfect, sweet smile.

"Just a colleague, asking about some work-related matters."

Over the past month, he had heard words like these too many times.

He began to observe Selena without making a sound.

He discovered she always had various excuses for answering work calls deep in the night.

That "long-divorced" ex-husband she spoke of also appeared near the base from time to time.

Once a seed of doubt is planted, it will grow wildly.

Ethan began to recall all the peace of the last month, every detail now feeling sinister and strange.

Just as he was preparing to send someone to investigate.

An international rescue news report was broadcast globally, simultaneously streamed into the base’s common room.

Several young teammates were huddled together, chatting and joking.

"Chief, are you here to watch the news too?"

Ethan grunted absentmindedly, his gaze fixed on the screen.

The screen displayed shocking footage of ruins after a catastrophic earthquake; the camera shook, focusing on a rescue scene.

A familiar yet distant figure appeared in the center of the frame.

She wore a rescue suit emblazoned with the Zurich University Hospital logo, sporting a high-tech custom headset, directing the operations calmly.

"Left side, three o'clock direction, five meters underground—there’s a faint heartbeat."

"The life detector signal is being disrupted by steel reinforcement; use my equipment’s data as the standard."

Her voice was transmitted clearly through the reporter’s microphone on the scene.

It was Ivy!

The news anchor introduced her with an excited tone.

"Former top rescue team member Ivy, now a distinguished expert at the Zurich University Hospital ENT Research Center, has led the development of this new type of auditory assistance device called 'HearJoy'."

"In the complex environment of this disaster zone, this device has played a massive role, successfully locating dozens of trapped survivors..."

On the screen, Ivy was confident, powerful, and so dazzling that one couldn't look away.

Beside her, a tall, well-built man naturally unscrewed a bottle of water and held it to her lips.

It was Lucas.

His gaze as he looked at her was filled with admiration.

The unspoken chemistry between them stung Ethan deeply.

For a year, he had been smugly immersed in a false sense of security and self-deception.

But Ivy had long since moved on to another world, living as the person he could only look up to.

"Wow, that expert is so amazing, and her husband is so handsome. They look so good together."

The exclamation from the young teammate beside him stabbed Ethan’s heart viciously.

What had he missed? What had he destroyed with his own hands?

Ethan stumbled out of the common room, barking orders to his assistant over the phone, his voice nearly a roar.

"Now, immediately, investigate for me!"

"Start from Sierra’s origins, and investigate everything about Selena until you turn her life inside out."

The assistant on the other end was startled, stammering agreement.

Time had never felt so agonizing.

Ethan sat in his office, chain-smoking one cigarette after another.

He didn't know how long it had been before his office door was knocked on cautiously. His assistant entered, holding a DNA report with an incredibly complex expression.

"Captain Ethan, the results for little Sierra are out."

Chapter 9

Ethan and Sierra—the probability of a biological father-daughter relationship is 0.

Every word on the thin DNA report in Ethan’s hand burned his fingertips.

He flipped through the investigation report page by page.

The so-called "life-saving grace" was merely Selena impersonating the achievements of another fallen comrade.

During that avalanche years ago, she hadn't been in the core area at all; she was just handling logistics at the rear camp.

The so-called "accidental fall off the cliff" was a "bitter meat trick" she had orchestrated by bribing a local guide.

The accusation of being pushed by Ivy was even more of a frame-up she had coached her daughter to plan.

Even that "ex-husband" who she claimed was long divorced and had no contact with, had been appearing near the base from time to time.

The continuous money transfers in the records were like slaps to his face.

He had been nothing but a high-quality "long-term meal ticket" she found for herself and her daughter.

The bloody truth was laid bare before Ethan’s eyes.

Ethan’s mind went blank, leaving only a buzzing roar in his ears.

He, Ethan—the Captain Ethan feared and respected by everyone at the base—turned out to be nothing but a fool played by a woman in the palm of her hand.

Because of the lies he had spun for this woman, he had personally destroyed his most precious treasure.

He rushed out of the office and kicked open the door to Selena’s dorm.

Selena was in front of the mirror, trying on a necklace, and was terrified out of her wits by Ethan’s homicidal expression.

"Honey, what’s wrong?"

She managed a fake smile, habitually wanting to step forward and hook her arm into his.

"Don’t touch me!" Ethan swung his hand violently, slamming the DNA report onto her face.

"What is this? Explain yourself."

When Selena saw the words "biological father-daughter probability 0" clearly, her face turned sheet-white instantly.

But she didn't plead guilty immediately, instead flinging herself at Ethan’s feet, tears flowing on command.

"Honey, this is fake, this is absolutely fake. Someone is trying to harm me! Is it Ivy?"

"It must be Ivy, right? She’s jealous that I’m staying by your side, so she forged this report to force me away."

"Even now, you’re still splashing dirty water on her?"

Ethan shook with rage, grabbing her hair and throwing the rest of the investigation report in front of her.

"What about these? Photos of your ex-husband, the transfer records of you bribing the guide, and your true duty roster during the avalanche! Are these all forged by Ivy too?"

Looking at the ironclad evidence, Selena suddenly let go.

"Yes, I lied to you. Sierra isn't your seed, and it wasn't me who saved you. But Ethan, what qualifications do you have to act innocent here?"

Selena suddenly raised her head, every word piercing Ethan’s heart.

"The person who truly stabbed Ivy was you! I only squeezed out a few tears, and you hesitated not a second to doubt your own wedded wife!"

Ethan clutched his chest, the pain so sharp he could barely breathe.

"You destroyed your own marriage with your own hands. Now you only have me and Sierra. Can’t we just live a good life as a family of three?"

"Get out!"

Ethan kicked her flying with one vicious motion. "You make me sick."

He didn't spare another word, directly calling the base’s security department.

As the uniformed men dragged Selena away by force, she was still shrieking hysterically in the corridor.

"Ethan, you can’t do this to me! Do you think if you bring Ivy back, she’ll want you?"

"You are the one who forced her away! You deserve to be abandoned by everyone, you deserve to grow old alone!"

Ethan leaned weakly against the doorframe, large tears streaming down his cheeks.

He had been so terribly, utterly wrong.

His assistant, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, stood to the side, too terrified to breathe, yet Ethan grabbed onto him like a last straw.

"Book me a flight to Zurich. I’m bringing Ivy back."

Chapter 10

Winter in Zurich; snowflakes were flying.

Ethan had been wandering through this unfamiliar city for over half a month.

In a foreign land with a language barrier, he couldn't even manage a full sentence to ask for directions.

He could only clutch the photo with the frayed edges in his hand, stopping everyone he saw to inquire.

Passersby mostly gave indifferent shakes of their heads or used rapid German he couldn't understand to brush him off before walking away.

Every time he handed over the photo full of hope, he was met with the shattering of that hope.

Just yesterday, his assistant back home found that Ivy had a transaction record at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

The moment he received the news, Ethan had practically sprinted across more than half the city to get there.

He stood in the restaurant, trembling even as he breathed.

But when he handed the photo to the blond, blue-eyed waiter, the man politely shook his head: