Theater: NovelMaster | Language: English | NEW
Synopsis
Seven years after our divorce, I suddenly heard my ex-husband's voice inside my head.
[That car in front of me... it's Evelyn!]
[It really is her! How do I get her to stay?]
Right as the thought faded—BAM.
Julian's car gently tapped my rear bumper.
I didn't want anything to do with him anymore. I stepped out, took one look at the minor scratch, and said flatly, "It's barely a scratch. Let's just call the police and file through insurance."
Julian just stared at me, completely dazed. It took him several seconds to find his voice.
"I'm sorry. Total fault on my end. I'll call insurance right away."
He paused, his eyes searching mine. "Evelyn... can we exchange numbers? Just to make sorting this out easier."
The second I reached for my phone, Julian's raw thoughts exploded in my mind again:
[Don't leave.]
[Please.]
[I still love you... Can't you... give me one more chance?]
My hand froze. I shook my head and put my phone back. "No need. The insurance adjuster will reach out to you."
Julian blinked in disbelief. "You never used to turn me down."
I met his gaze and gave him a calm, distant reminder.
"Mr. Vance, we're divorced."
It had been seven years. I stopped loving him a lifetime ago.
Julian choked on my words.
His head dropped in defeat, totally lost for words.
After a heavy silence, he drew a deep breath, parting his lips to try again—
My phone shrieked from my pocket.
Seeing the caller ID flash Ms. Evans, my maternal instincts flared. My heart tightened as I hit accept.
"Daisy's mom? Daisy got into an altercation with a boy in class, and her face is scratched up! A few of the boys were teasing her, telling her she doesn't have a dad."
"She's completely hysterical right now. We're having a hard time calming her down..."
A fight?
She was hurt?
Panic seized my chest instantly. "What?!"
"Okay, I'm heading over right now. Please keep an eye on her until I get there!"
I hung up and glanced at my dented bumper. The cops and insurance weren't here yet. I couldn't drive this mess.
I whipped around toward Julian, my voice frantic.
"Give me your number! Fast!"
Julian was still trying to process what was happening. His confused thoughts echoed in my head:
[Who is Daisy?]
[Why is Evelyn this panicked? Is that... a pet's name?]
I frowned. What ridiculous nonsense was he thinking?
But I didn't have time to explain.
I stomped my foot in frustration, shouting, "Number! Now!"
Julian blurted out a string of digits on instinct.
I quickly dialed him, let it ring once, and hung up.
"That's my number. Handle the car with the insurance when they get here. We'll talk later."
"I have an emergency. I have to go!"
Without waiting for his answer, I turned on my heel and flagged down a taxi.
[This is great. I have Evelyn's number again.]
[She cares so much about Daisy. Maybe next time we meet, I should bring some treats for Daisy to get on her good side.]
[I just don't know if Daisy is a cat, a dog, or...]
Clutching his phone, Julian flagged down a cab for me while his mind raced.
I was too frantic to listen to the rest of his thoughts. I yanked the cab door open.
"Greenwood Elementary, please! Step on it!"
By the time I rushed into the school, Ms. Evans had mostly settled the situation.
A couple of little boys stood beside their parents with their heads hanging low. When the parents saw me walk in, looking embarrassed, they immediately pulled their kids forward to apologize.
"Ms. Moore, we're so incredibly sorry. Our boy was completely out of line. He was talking nonsense..."
"Yes, exactly. We've reprimanded them harshly, and we'll cover any medical bills, of course."
I didn't have the bandwidth for polite pleasantries. I rushed past them and swept Daisy into my arms, murmuring softly, "Baby, don't cry."
"Mommy's here. I've got you."
I inspected her cheek carefully.
Thank god. It was just a small scrape. The skin was barely broken.
Seeing that the parents were genuinely apologetic and the boys looked terrified, I didn't want to make a scene. After a firm warning, I carried a softly sobbing Daisy out of the office.
Back home, I gently wiped her tear-streaked face with a warm washcloth.
She kept her chin tucked against her chest, her little spirits crushed.
My heart ached. I asked gently, "Daisy, tell Mommy what happened today."
"Mommy won't be mad at you."
Daisy's lower lip quivered, and fresh tears spilled over.
"Mommy, the school sports day is next week. But everyone laughed at me and called me a stray kid without a dad... Tyler told everyone that since I don't have a dad, I'll definitely finish in last place."
Her tiny fingers gripped mine tight. She looked up at me with wet, pleading eyes.
"Mommy, you said I have a daddy."
"When... when do I finally get to meet him?"Her question left me completely speechless.
Daisy was Julian's child.
A secret I had fiercely guarded for seven full years.
My marriage to Julian began as nothing more than a cold, calculated business arrangement.
I never expected anything from it. But Julian turned out to be different.
He was attentive, grounded, remembered every little thing I liked, and gave me space.
Day by day, through all those quiet moments together, a terrifying reality set in—
I had fallen in love with him.
So, when the hospital handed me a positive pregnancy test, I was so thrilled. I genuinely believed our marriage could finally cross the threshold into real love.
I rushed to his company without waiting for an appointment.
I didn't even have the receptionist announce me. I pushed his office door right open.
And there he was.
And he saw me.
Only, he wasn't behind his executive desk. He was on the leather couch.
His dress shirt was unbuttoned halfway down. Victoria was curled in his lap in a state of disarray. Her bare collarbone was littered with dark hickeys, her cheeks flushed with post-intimacy heat.
I stood frozen at the door, crushing the sonogram in my trembling fist.
Julian merely glanced up, giving me a dismissive, indifferent look.
"Get out."
"Come back in ten minutes."
I didn't move. I just stared at him in utter disbelief.
Annoyed, he pushed Victoria off him, straightened his clothes, and told her to leave.
Once the door clicked shut behind her, he turned to me, irritated by the interruption.
"What are you doing here?"
"Didn't I tell you to call before coming to the office?"
A million needles stabbed through my heart. I looked at Julian, completely coming apart at the seams.
"Aren't you... going to explain this?"
He scoffed, as if I had just told a ridiculous joke.
"Explain?"
"What is there to explain?"
Julian took a step closer, looking at me with pure condescension, as if I were being utterly unreasonable.
"Evelyn, isn't this what a marriage like ours is supposed to be?"
"I don't police who you sleep with outside, and you look the other way when it comes to me. Plenty of couples in our circle live like this. As long as we keep up appearances in public, who cares?"
"Why are you making a big deal out of this all of a sudden?"
In that single second, my entire world caved in.
The man standing in front of me felt entirely like a stranger. A repulsive stranger.
Dazed, I clutched my stomach and turned toward the door. Behind me, Julian let out a cold, mocking scoff—ridiculing my childish naivety.
When I reached the lobby doors, a figure blocked my path.
Victoria.
She had clearly been waiting for me, wearing the smug smirk of a victor.
"Ms. Moore, got a second to talk?"
A dull cramp pulsed in my lower abdomen. My body felt horribly wrong.
I tried to walk around her, but she spoke, her voice laced with sweet venom.
"Ms. Moore, I know I embarrassed you today. But you need to understand that Julian and I are truly in love."
"Besides... I'm pregnant with Julian's baby."
My footsteps froze.
Victoria hid a smug grin and continued, "You probably didn't know, did you?"
"I was Julian's first love. If my family hadn't gone bankrupt back then, I would be Mrs. Vance right now. So please, be a decent person and stop coming between us. My baby... needs a father."
Before I could say a word, frantic footsteps echoed from behind us.
"What the hell are you doing?!"Julian stormed down, his face dark with irritation. He looked at Victoria's tearful, victimized face, then at my paper-white expression, his brow furrowing deeply.
Without asking a single question, he shoved me aside with brutal force!
"Evelyn, did you not hear a damn word I said up there?"
"Leave Victoria alone!"
"She's pregnant right now! She can't handle you throwing a tantrum!"
Caught off guard, I crashed violently onto the marble floor. A sharp, searing pain tore through my abdomen.
Cold sweat instantly soaked through my shirt.
Julian saw the sheer agony on my face and instinctively reached out a hand to help me up.
But Victoria whimpered softly, "Julian, my stomach hurts..."
His hand snapped right back.
"Go home. Stop embarrassing me in front of my company."
Julian dropped those freezing words, wrapped an arm around Victoria's waist, and walked away.
He never looked back once.
I curled up on the freezing floor, pain and despair blurring my vision. Eventually, a passerby saw how bad off I was and rushed me to the ER.
The baby survived.
The doctor's face was grim as he warned me: my uterine lining was naturally thin. If I lost this baby, I might never be able to conceive again.
During those days in the hospital bed, everything became crystal clear.
Life was too short.
I would rather divorce him and start from scratch than swallow down this toxic, broken marriage.
I refused to let my baby grow up with a half-sibling born from an affair.
So on the day of my discharge, I didn't go home. I marched straight into Julian's office.
Seeing me, he frowned on cue. "You're back again? Feeling better?"
I didn't sit down. I didn't bother with small talk.
I slid the signed divorce papers right across his desk.
"Julian, let's get a divorce."
He froze, irritation immediately flooding his expression, as if I were throwing a childish fit.
"What are you playing at now? Because of Victoria? Didn't I tell you she won't threaten your position as my wife—"
"I said, I want a divorce."
I cut him off coldly and tapped the papers.
His ego bruised, Julian stopped talking. With a stormy expression, he scribbled his signature across the document without reading a single page.
"There's a standard waiting period before this becomes final."
"During this time, if your head clears up, I'll give you another chance. But remember your place as Mrs. Vance next time, or—"
I didn't have the patience to hear him finish. I grabbed my copy of the agreement and walked out.
Regret it?
The very day we signed the papers, I severed every single tie Julian could use to track me down. I vanished entirely from his world.
For seven long years.
Until that fender bender brought him back into my orbit.
"Mommy?"
A soft, sweet voice pulled me back to reality.
Daisy gently tugged on my sleeve, looking up with large, worried eyes. "Mommy... why are you crying?"
Only then did I realize warm tears were streaming down my face.
She reached out with her tiny hand, clumsily dabbing at my wet cheeks. "Daisy was bad. Daisy won't ask about daddy anymore. I won't make Mommy sad ever again."
"Please don't cry, okay Mommy?"
I snapped out of it, horrified that I had lost control in front of my daughter. I wrapped my arms around her tightly, wanting to say Mommy's fine, but my throat choked up.
It hit me then: I thought running away back then was protecting her.
Was that really fair to Daisy?
While my mind wrestled with guilt, my phone buzzed on the counter.
The screen lit up brightly. The caller ID was glaringly clear:
Julian Vance.Julian called wanting to meet up to sort out the fender bender.
I looked at Daisy in my arms and made up my mind.
I agreed to meet him at a small coffee shop near my place.
The second I sat down, Julian pushed several glossy gift bags across the table toward me.
"Evelyn, I heard you mention Daisy the other day."
"I picked up a few pet supplies for Daisy. I wasn't sure what she liked..."
Almost simultaneously, his clear inner voice rang inside my skull:
[Cats, dogs, bunnies, hamsters... I bought two of everything for common pets. One of them has to hit the mark, right?]
I glanced at the designer pet toys. I was genuinely speechless.
"Thoughtful of you, Mr. Vance."
"Unfortunately, none of this is suitable for her."
I heard his heart sink like a rock:
[Wrong again?]
[It's not a common pet... Could it be a spider, a snake, or a lizard? A miniature pony?]
[Forget it. Guessing is dangerous. I'll just hire an investigator to find out what Daisy actually is...]
"Don't you dare investigate!"
The words slipped out before I could stop myself.
Julian froze, staring at me in confusion.
"What?"
I cleared my throat and cut straight to the chase.
"Nothing. I've handed the car accident over to the insurance company. They'll follow up with you."
"The only reason I agreed to meet you today is for something else."
I hesitated, struggling to find the words.
"How is your wife doing? Your child... must be pretty big by now, right?"
Julian looked utterly bewildered by my question.
It took him several seconds to realize I was referring to Victoria. His face turned ghost-white, his voice raspy.
"Victoria and I... ended things a long time ago."
[Right after you walked away.]
[I searched for you like a madman. I couldn't reach your phone, and when I went to your parents' place, your father threw me out in the cold. I couldn't find you anywhere. I never even got to say I'm sorry.]
[Evelyn, I regret it so much. It's killing me.]
His agonized thoughts poured straight into my mind.
Sitting across from me, Julian slumped as if all his energy had been sucked out. He didn't dare meet my eyes.
"Evelyn, I'm so sorry for everything I did to you."
I just watched his misery in silence, exactly the way he had watched me break in his office years ago.
I pressed on. "And the child? Did you raise Victoria's baby yourself?"
"I remember you telling me you loved kids."
Julian shook his head, offering a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.
"A kid? Ha... there never was a kid."
"She lied to me from the start. She was never pregnant... She faked the whole thing to force you out so she could take your place as my wife."
Julian lifted his eyes, gazing at me with sheer heartbreak.
His inner voice practically cried out:
[Evelyn, if I had only cherished you back then. We would have had our own baby by now. They'd be running around, calling us mommy and daddy in their sweet little voice.]
[They would look just like you. Gorgeous, brilliant.]
[It was me. I destroyed everything with my own hands.]
His voice trembled as he asked, "Evelyn... are you alone right now?"
I shook my head without hesitation. "No."
The tiny flicker of hope left in his eyes instantly died.
He forced a smile that looked worse than crying, his throat thick with unshed tears.
"Is that so? That's... that's wonderful."
"I wish you all the happiness in the world. Does he... treat you well?"
Before I could answer, he kept rambling on his own.
"Of course he does. Leaving someone like me was the best thing you ever did. You deserve the best."
He inhaled sharply, trying desperately to salvage whatever dignity he had left.
"Right, you mentioned you needed help with something."
"Don't worry. Whatever it is, I'll help you. Today, tomorrow, whenever... as long as you ever need me."
I didn't answer right away. My fingers lightly traced the rim of the coffee cup.
Julian wasn't married. He had no children.
That meant if I told him the truth right now, he might... actually be able to give Daisy a pure, undivided father's love.
I looked up, meeting his nervous eyes.
I finally made my decision.
"Julian."
"I want you to meet Daisy. She's seven years old."
Julian didn't catch on. He frowned slightly, confused about how meeting a pet counted as helping me.
Seeing his blank face, I dropped the final, defining truth:
"She's a little girl. She's in first grade at the elementary school down the street."
Julian's eyes lost focus for a split second. Then, like lightning ripping through a dense fog, realization crashed over him. His eyes went wide.
He shot straight out of his seat, knocking his chair back, staring at me in total shock.
[A seven-year-old girl... Is Daisy my...]
His unfinished thoughts were screaming in disbelief.
I didn't look at him, nor did I explain.
Because right at that moment—
A sweet, childish voice called out from behind Julian:
"Mommy!"
Chapters (4)
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Watch & Promotions
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