Chapter 3

With that, I grabbed my sobbing son and rushed out of the house.

I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

I thought Adrian had come after us.

Like a fool, I looked back, only to find it was Chloe.

"Mandy, don't be angry. Adrian is just being stubborn. Even after all these years with me, he never stopped worrying about you and Noah. He just couldn't get past the way you tricked him into marrying you."

Her voice was soft.

"But I'm so grateful to Adrian. He gave Leo the father he'd never had. He truly loves Leo as his own.

"Mandy."

Chloe took my hand.

The gesture looked friendly, but every word cut straight into my heart. "Leo finally has a father. He's very possessive and doesn't want Adrian to have any other children.

"Poor Leo. I divorced his father right after he was born. Without Adrian, we'd be all alone, and life would be so hard.

"I'll convince Adrian not to divorce you. Don't worry. He listens to me.

"But I do have one condition.

"Could you please let Leo have his daddy to himself instead of making him share Adrian with Noah? When they're older and can handle it, we can tell them the truth. There's no rush, right?"

My chest felt so heavy that I couldn't speak.

Because Leo had a hard life, Adrian had to be his dad?

What about Noah? He'd spent his whole life barely seeing his own father. Hadn't he suffered too?

What did her son's sad story have to do with me? Why should Noah pay for it?

She spoke so sweetly and made herself look so pitiful that I couldn't help scoffing.

"Spare me the sob story, Ms. Davis."

Through gritted teeth, I said, "Do me a favor and tell Adrian this. For Noah's sake, I swallowed my anger before. Now, for Noah's sake, I can leave him. Make sure he understands. I'm the one who doesn't want him anymore!"

For a long moment, Chloe said nothing. Then she dropped the act.

"Even better. Leo and I should thank you.

"Oh, and I might as well tell you. We lived together the entire time we were abroad. To everyone there, we looked like a happy family of three. Adrian says he's given me everything except a marriage certificate.

"Leo and I finally have a home, and I'm not letting anyone take my happiness away!"

I trembled with rage.

"Chloe, you have no shame!"

I raised my hand, but before I could slap her, I lowered it again.

I wandered the streets with my son, not knowing where to go.

Finally, the last shred of dignity and strength I'd clung to disappeared.

I crouched, wrapped my arms around my son, and broke down sobbing.

Noah and I found a hotel to stay in for the time being.

It poured that night. Thunder rolled again and again, and Noah was too frightened to sleep. He kept burrowing into my arms.

"Mommy, whenever it thundered before, you always said that when Daddy came home, he'd protect us.

"But Daddy came home, and now he's not my daddy anymore..."

His small voice trembled with pain.

It broke my heart.

Ever since he was a baby, Noah had been afraid of thunder, just like me.

Adrian knew all of that.

I didn't sleep at all that night.

The next day, exhausted, I arranged new identities for Noah and me.

My dad had already arranged the identity paperwork for us through a trusted contact. It took effect that day, with my new documents bearing the name Lena Jennings.

When I got back, Noah had a fever.

His little body was burning up.

I rushed him to the hospital, only to learn that all the pediatric specialists on duty had been reassigned at the last minute.

"Why? How could this happen?"

Sobbing, I begged the hospital staff for help.

"There's nothing we can do, ma'am. Adrian Shaw, the richest man in LA, had every pediatric specialist he could reach sent to treat his son after the boy suffered a severe asthma attack during last night's storm. Your son... your son only has a fever. We'll give him medicine to bring it down. Please be patient and wait."

I had no choice but to swallow my pride and call Adrian in tears. I begged him to send back just one pediatrician to see Noah.

"Adrian, Noah is burning up. It could be pneumonia. Please, I'm begging you—"

"Playing the victim again?"

Adrian's voice was ice-cold. "Do you even hear yourself? You're jealous, scheming, and willing to do anything to get your way!

"Yesterday, you fought with Chloe and slapped her so hard that her face swelled up. I haven't even dealt with that yet, and now you're pulling another stunt?"

I froze.

"What fight? When did I ever hit her?"

"Stop lying! Mandy Jennings, you've become so manipulative it's pathetic! Leo is having a serious asthma attack, and I don't have time for your games!"

He hung up. When I called back, it went straight to voicemail. He'd blocked me.