Chapter 20
Powerless, I dropped to my knees in front of him and begged him in the most humiliating way possible.
But his hand only clamped around my jaw like a steel trap, his teeth grinding in fury.”
“If you want that little bastard to live, then tell me where the hell you took Jewel?“>
“I don’t know! I swear I don’t know, please,” I answered truthfully, begging.”
Yet a loud slap exploded across my face. My left cheek burned, and all I could hear was a high–pitched ringing in my ear.”
“You liar!” he spat. “Surveillance from the kindergarten shows a woman dressed exactly like you taking her into a car. Her name tag was also found outside your bedroom. And you’re still pretending you’re innocent?“\
I shook my head desperately, tears flying. “It wasn’t me! I swear, it wasn’t!“}
I then turned my head and saw Mick’s tiny chest rising slower and slower.”
Panicked, I pushed myself up and rushed toward the operating room.
“Mick! Don’t be scared. Mommy’s taking you home.“”
I cradled his ice–cold body in my arms, whispering that same sentence over and over like a prayer.”
He was still wearing the soccer jersey of Denton’s favorite team. I gently kissed his pale little cheek, and my warm tears fell on his soft skin.
Just yesterday morning, Denton had him perched on his shoulders, playing pretend knights.”
But now, Denton coldly said, “He’s not my son. Melanie showed me your old pregnancy records. You were already pregnant before we got married. And that kid isn’t premature; he was full–term. You just made up that whole preemie lie to cover up your past.”
His words hit harder than any slap. For a moment, I forgot to cry.”
Every accusation, about kidnapping Melanie’s daughter, about Mick’s parentage, was a lie. All of it.”
Three months ago, I had been carefully planning our anniversary trip. I even booked two tickets to Paris.
Yet he never showed up.
Mick and I waited outside Disneyland the entire night. But only the fireworks lighting up the empty sky accompanied us.”
I still remember, I was wearing the same outfit shown in that kindergarten footage. But the next morning, I was mugged on the street and lost the entire outfit while protecting Mick.”
When I finally got home, he wasn’t there either.
Later that night, I saw him on Melanie’s Instagram. That same cold man I married was smiling under the Paris night sky, with the Eiffel Tower glowing behind him.
That was when I realized he had chosen Melanie over me.
But we were in love once because Mick was the proof of that.”
Seven years ago, Denton was a powerful and feared genius in both the legal and underground business world, while I was just a broke computer science student, bartending to pay my tuition.”
He claimed it was love at first sight.”
Every day, he brought me gifts and begged me to marry him. I rejected him 99 times because I knew deep down, we were from two very different worlds.
I wasn’t worthy of his billion–dollar life. And more importantly, I didn’t want to live a life tied to blood and darkness.
Until one night, I was drugged, and he showed up and saved me. He held me as he cried, apologizing over and over. For seven days straight, he publicly announced he was cutting ties with the underground world just to convince me he could give me a simple, happy life.
When Mick was born prematurely, I watched him cry as he stood over the incubator. He swore he’d protect us, no matter what. He even said he’d give his own life to save our son.
Back then, he was the perfect husband and father.
But everything started to fall apart the day Melanie returned.&
She weaseled her way into every part of our lives. She made Denton used to missing all our important moments. She planted the idea that Mick wasn’t his child. She even twisted the story of Denton’s father’s accidental death, blaming me. And the most terrifying part was that he believed her.
I once offered to divorce him. I thought maybe, just maybe, we could part ways peacefully.
But he only wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger, smiling softly. His voice slithered like a snake against my ear. “Darling, did you really think you could fool me and walk away unscathed? A blood debt must be paid in blood. Isn’t that
11:59 AM P
