My Daughter Called My Husband's Brother \"Daddy\"

Everyone said my husband, Liam, was the luckiest bastard alive.

That was because he had an older brother, Mason, who was always there to clean up his messes.

On our wedding day, Liam threw a wild bachelor party with his childhood best friend, Scarlett, and overslept.

It was Mason who drove over to pick me up and walked me down the aisle.

Right before I went into labor, Liam flew to Africa with Scarlett for a safari trip. It was Mason who stayed outside the delivery room, holding my hand and taking care of me.

Even after we got married, Liam kept living his life like a carefree bachelor, partying and fooling around.

Until our daughter Lily's first birthday party.

Lily took a few wobbly steps, ran straight past Liam, threw her tiny arms around Mason's leg, and babbled, "Daddy!"

That was the exact moment Liam finally panicked.

He snatched Lily out of Mason's arms, holding her tightly as he desperately tried to correct her. "Say Daddy, sweetie. I'm your daddy."

I immediately stepped in and took my daughter back. Lily was shaking, huge tears rolling down her chubby cheeks.

"You're scaring her, Liam. Lily is shy around strangers. She hates being held by people she doesn't know."

Liam's face twisted with frustration.

But Lily's face was already flushed from crying. He had no choice but to let me take her.

The second she was back in my arms, Lily buried her head in my shoulder, clearly rejecting him.

Scarlett, who was standing nearby, laughed mockingly.

"Well, Liam, looks like you're out of the picture. Honestly, Chloe, Lily, and Mason look way more like a real family than you do."

Liam's expression darkened instantly.

"Shut up if you don't have anything nice to say," he snapped. "The baby only did that because she hasn't seen me in a while."

Lily, who had just peeked her head up out of curiosity, was startled by his loud, angry voice.

She burst into an even louder, more heartbreaking sob.

Mason frowned at Liam. He set his whiskey glass down and walked over.

"Daddy... hold me..."

As soon as Lily saw his familiar face, she stretched out her chubby little arms, begging Mason to carry her.

Mason naturally took her from me. Within seconds, he had her giggling, showing off her tiny baby teeth.

Liam's face looked darker than a stormy night.

On the drive home, he suddenly spoke up.

"From now on, keep Lily away from Mason."

I frowned.

"The nanny has tomorrow off, and I have an urgent meeting at my studio. If Mason doesn't help, who's going to take Lily to her toddler class?"

Liam straightened his back and cleared his throat.

"Uh, it's just a toddler class. I'm her father. I can take her."

I stared at him, stunned.

"Lily is still too young. If she goes to a strange place without someone she's comfortable with, she'll scream the whole time. Besides, tomorrow is Monday. Aren't you supposed to go hiking with Scarlett?"

Hiking on Mondays was a sacred ritual between him and Scarlett.

Scarlett firmly believed that hiking to the top of the mountain on Monday mornings to watch the sunrise brought good luck for the rest of the week.

So, rain or shine, Liam had accompanied her every single week.

Because of this ridiculous ritual, he had missed countless important milestones in our life.

I was just stating the facts, but Liam clearly misread my tone.

He looked me up and down.

Then, he let out a soft chuckle and reached over to ruffle my hair.

"Look at you, still getting jealous even after becoming a mom. You're just mad because I haven't been spending enough time with you two, aren't you?"

I frowned, pulling away.

I had stopped caring about him a long time ago. Jealous? Please.

But Liam was completely convinced of his own theory.

"Alright, fine. I admit I haven't been the most present father since Lily was born. I'll text Scarlett later and let her know I'm taking Lily to her class tomorrow."

I wanted to say no.

Lily got extremely anxious in unfamiliar environments. If Liam was the only one with her, she would probably cry until she fainted.

But then again, he was her father. He had the right to be there.

I sighed.

Whatever. I would just delegate the studio work to my assistant and go with them.

Halfway through my shower, I heard Lily's faint cries coming from the nursery.

The nanny had already gone home. Liam was the only one out there.

"Liam! What's wrong with Lily?"

I yelled his name several times, but got no response.

Not even bothering to rinse the soap off, I grabbed a robe, threw it on, and rushed out to scoop Lily up.

"Why is she so burning hot?"

Liam, who had promised to watch her sleep so I could take a relaxing shower, was nowhere to be found.

There was only Lily, crying hysterically, her skin burning to the touch.

She must have gotten startled earlier today, and with her cold from last week not fully gone, the fever had flared up again.

My heart ached as I tried to soothe her. I wanted Liam to drive us to the hospital immediately.

But after searching the entire house, he was gone. I picked up my phone, only to see a Snapchat message from him:

"Chloe, something urgent came up at the office. I saw Lily was sleeping peacefully, so I didn't want to wake you. Go to bed early after your shower. I'll pick Lily up for her class tomorrow morning."

A wave of fury washed over me, nearly scorching my sanity.

He went to the office? The man didn't visit his family's company more than three times a year. What could possibly be so urgent that it required his presence at midnight?!

But right now, Lily was the priority.

I took a few deep breaths, forcing my emotions down.

The housekeeper and the driver had already left for the night. Frantic, I bundled Lily up in warm clothes and prepared to call an Uber.

Just as I opened the front door, I ran into Mason, who was holding a bag of medicine.

He had been worried that Lily's cold might worsen after crying so much today.

He couldn't shake the worry, so he had bought some baby fever reducers to drop off. He hadn't expected to find me rushing out.

"Chloe, what's wrong?"

My voice cracked with panic.

"Mason, we need to go to the hospital! Lily has a high fever, and I'm the only adult here!"

Hearing this, Mason immediately took Lily from my arms and ran toward his car.

He ran several red lights and got us to the emergency room in record time.

The ER doctor was absolutely furious with us.

"How are you guys running this household? The baby's fever is almost 104 degrees, and you're only bringing her in now?!"

I guiltily rocked Lily, who had cried herself hoarse. Meanwhile, Mason ran around paying the bills, filling out forms, and getting the medication.

By the time the fever finally broke and Lily drifted off to sleep, it was past 3:00 AM.

Only then did I have a moment to thank Mason.

"Mason, thank you so much. I'm sorry to drag you into our mess again."

There was exhaustion in Mason's eyes, but he still smiled warmly to comfort me.

"Don't thank me, Chloe. Even if Lily weren't my niece, you're still the girl I watched grow up. It's my job to look after you both."

"Get some rest. Her IV drip is almost done. I'll go grab the nurse to take the needle out."

Right after Mason stepped out of the room, my phone buzzed.

It was a notification from our Snapchat group chat. Scarlett had tagged me.

"Chloe, you're not actually mad, are you? The guys and I joke around like this all the time. If it bothers you, I won't do it again."

Immediately after, Liam sent a voice note to the group:

"Did you hear that, Chloe? Scarlett is already apologizing. Drop the attitude."

Frowning, I scrolled up to see what they were talking about.

Two hours ago, Scarlett had posted a video in the group and tagged me:

"Liam lost a drinking game, so now he has to call me 'Mommy' for the night. Don't worry, Chloe, it's just for tonight. I'll return him to you tomorrow."

The video was set in a dimly lit, noisy VIP booth at a club. Scarlett had her arm draped around Liam's shoulder, teasing him.

"You lost the bet, baby! Call me Mommy! If you do it nicely, Mommy might buy you another round to sober you up!"

The friends holding the cameras and Liam's frat-boy buddies let out loud, obnoxious cheers and catcalls in the background.

Mason, who had just walked back in with the nurse, caught a glimpse of my phone screen.

His brow furrowed deeply, his eyes flashing with disappointment.

"Liam is getting entirely out of hand. Chloe, don't worry. I will deal with him tomorrow."

I shook my head, feeling completely numb.

"Don't bother. At the end of the day, it's my fault. I knew how irresponsible he was, yet I still left our daughter with him."

My marriage to Liam wasn't just about the two of us; it was a strategic merger of the Bennett and Sinclair families.

We couldn't just get a divorce over "minor" issues like this.

Since a divorce would cause too much chaos for both families, there was no point in throwing a tantrum.

Right now, I only cared about Lily.

As for Liam... to me, he was just a man I occasionally shared a bed with.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

The next morning, I was jarred awake by Liam's furious, booming voice.

I opened my eyes only to realize that I had fallen asleep resting my head on Mason's shoulder.

Mason was asleep too, his head leaning against mine. We looked incredibly intimate.

Last night, the pediatric ward had been completely full, so Lily had to stay on a cot in the hallway.

It was too late to transfer her to another hospital, so Mason and I had to squeeze onto the waiting room chairs to watch over her.

Mason woke up at the sound of the yell, looking momentarily flustered.

"Liam, listen to me."

"Shut up!"

Liam wasn't listening. He raised his fist, aiming a punch straight at Mason's face.

I stepped in with a cold face and slapped Liam hard across the cheek.

Slap!

"Are you awake now? Do you know where you are? Have some respect for the patients and shut up!"

Not only Liam, but even Mason stared at me in absolute shock.

The fury drained from Liam's face in an instant, replaced by a look of pathetic betrayal.

"You're acting all cozy with Mason, and now you're slapping me because of him?"

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Don't you and Scarlett touch each other all the time? Didn't you say it was just 'normal physical contact' between friends?"

Liam was left completely speechless.

After all, those were the exact words he had used on me countless times.

Feeling too guilty to press the issue, he shoved Mason aside and squeezed next to me.

"I'm her father. She got sick and you didn't even tell me? Instead, you called Mason, an outsider?"

I looked at him like he was an idiot.

"Running into Mason was a coincidence. Besides, you're the one who explicitly forbade me from 'interrupting' your boys' night out with Scarlett."

I didn't care to watch his face turn pale. I turned around to check my daughter's temperature.

"Chloe, don't be mad. I know I messed up."

Liam grabbed my wrist.

"I promise, from now on, you and Lily are my number one priority."

Even his own parents wouldn't believe a lie like that.

But Lily started crying just then, saving me from having to respond to his empty promise.

For the next few days, perhaps out of guilt, Liam stayed home every day to take care of Lily.

He took her to her classes, built blocks with her, fed her baby food...

Their bond grew quickly. Lily started looking for him the moment she woke up.

And the second Lily cried, Liam would immediately drop whatever he was doing to run to her.

That day, I had an urgent matter to handle at the studio.

Seeing that Lily was taking her afternoon nap, I told the nanny and Liam to watch her.

Before leaving, I warned him repeatedly.

"Keep her indoors, don't let her catch a draft. And absolutely do not let her eat mangoes, peanuts, or anything she's allergic to..."

Liam nodded eagerly, promising he understood.

Only then did I feel safe enough to leave.

But before my meeting even ended, my phone rang. It was Liam, his voice trembling with panic.

"Chloe, you need to come to the hospital right now! Lily suddenly broke out in hives and won't stop screaming! We're on our way to the ER!"

My heart dropped.

"What happened? Did she touch or eat something she shouldn't have?"

Everything in our house was carefully selected to be allergen-free, and I had listed her allergies to him a thousand times.

Liam stammered over the phone.

"Lily woke up and wanted to go outside. Scarlett and the guys were hosting a yacht party, and I thought it would be fun for Lily to see the ocean, so the nanny and I brought her along..."

"Then the nanny went to prep her bottle, and I was holding her. But I got caught up in a card game... and when I looked over, Scarlett was feeding her mango crepe cake..."

I didn't care about the meeting anymore. I grabbed my keys and ran to the parking lot.

By the time I rushed into the ER, Lily's condition had stabilized.

She looked so tiny on the hospital bed. The bruises on her forehead from her previous IV drip hadn't even faded yet.

Now, she had a new needle in her tiny hand, tears still clinging to her eyelashes.

Seeing Liam standing in the hallway, my fury boiled over.

The second he opened his mouth to explain, a sharp slap echoed through the corridor.

Liam's cheek swelled up instantly.

I pulled back my burning, red palm.

"I warned you before I left."

"Is this how you play father?!"

Liam kept his head down and didn't say a word, but Scarlett, who was standing beside him, couldn't hold back.

"Chloe, you can't blame Liam entirely for this."

"The kid isn't just his. You chose to go to work and dump her on him. He has a life too."

"If you ask me, Lily is just too high-maintenance. Allergic to this, allergic to that. Plus, she's the one who wanted to eat..."

"Ow! How dare you hit me?!"

Without a second thought, I slapped Scarlett across the face, looking at her with cold eyes.

"Trashy new money truly has no class. Who gave an outsider like you the right to comment on my family matters?"

Scarlett hated being called "new money" more than anything. Her eyes turned bloodshot, and she raised her hand to strike back.

But before she could even touch my coat, Liam grabbed her arm and pushed her away.

She stared at Liam in disbelief.

"Why are you pushing me?! Chloe has gone insane! Didn't you see her hit me?!"

Liam didn't defend her this time. Instead, his tone was laced with irritation.

"Enough! You're the one who couldn't keep your mouth shut."

"Besides, who told you to feed the baby cake without asking?"

Scarlett looked like she was about to explode.

"I was standing up for you, and now you're blaming me?!"

A nurse came out to let us know Lily was awake.

I turned and walked back into the room immediately, ignoring the two of them as they started arguing.

The moment Lily was discharged, I filed for divorce and moved back into my family's estate.

Liam finally realized I wasn't joking.

He kept showing up at my door, begging to talk.

I refused to see him, leaving all communication to my lawyer.

Soon, Liam's parents, Mike and Jennifer, found out about the situation.

They wanted to see their granddaughter.

I had no reason to keep Lily from her grandparents, so I brought her over to the Sinclair estate.

During dinner, Liam kept hovering over me, placing food on my plate.

"You love sea bass. Try this, I caught it myself yesterday."

I didn't say a word. I just pushed the fish to the side of my plate.

The dinner was incredibly awkward.

Once everyone set their forks down, I was the first to speak.

"Mike, Jennifer, I'm sure you both know what's going on between Liam and me."

"You are Lily's grandparents, and I will never stop you from seeing her. But I cannot stay married to Liam anymore."

With that, I placed the signed divorce papers on the table.

Liam panicked, instantly grabbing my hand.

"Chloe, I was wrong. I really was. I was careless and stupid last time. You can hit me, you can yell at me, but please don't divorce me. I'm changing, aren't I?"

"I've made up my mind to be a good husband and father to you and Lily!"

Mike and Jennifer also chimed in, trying to persuade me.

"Chloe, dear, Liam really knows he messed up. He's cut off all those bad influences these past few days."

"And Lily is still so small. How are you going to raise her all by yourself if you get a divorce?"

My face remained calm. Their words didn't move me at all.

"Mike, Jennifer, my mind is made up. Please don't try to convince me."

"Lily grew up healthy before without Liam's involvement. She'll be just fine in the future."

I stood up, taking Lily from Mason, who had remained silent the entire evening.

"Lily, say goodbye to everyone."

Seeing that I was truly leaving, Liam's eyes turned red, and he dropped to his knees right in front of me.

"Please don't go. I can't lose you and Lily. If you're mad about Scarlett, I'll block her right now."

"Stand up, Liam. I'm going to show everyone what kind of woman Chloe Bennett really is today."

Before he could finish, Scarlett burst into the dining room, pushing past the security guards.

She threw a stack of documents onto the dining table. The DNA test results were glaringly obvious.

She pointed at me, her voice trembling with excitement.

"Lily isn't even Liam's daughter. She is the bastard child Chloe had from sleeping around with Mason."