Chapter 2

The smile on my face froze. Mason was a two-year-old boy who couldn't even pronounce words properly, yet he pointed at me and clearly called me a bad man.

Hearing that, Jackson glanced at me before pretending to chastise Mason.

"Mason Horton, how could you say that? He's your godfather! He's always cared about you!"

Madelyn quickly tightened her hold on Mason.

"Don't scold him, Jackson. He's just an innocent child. He doesn't know what he's saying. Samuel is my fiance. Of course, he won't take the words of a child to heart."

I sat there with a wry smile on my face, feeling like an intruder ruining the happiness of the family of three. Who was I to still call myself Madelyn's fiance in such a situation?

Besides, what kind of innocent child would point at someone and call them a bad man?

Mason Horton… Mason… It was only then that I realized Mason's name was probably made up of parts of their names.

Madelyn, on the other hand, didn't see a problem with any of this at all. She even tried to hand Mason to me.

I turned to avoid her. "Enough said. I'm leaving."

She grabbed my wrist.

"Samuel, you're free at the moment, aren't you? You might as well start getting used to being a father."

I sneered. "Madelyn, I might be a fool, but I'm not insane. Why should I help raise a child whom you had with my friend? The three of you might not be bothered by me, but I sure as hell can't stand the sight of you all."

Sensing the tension, Jackson tried to smooth things over with a smile.

"Sam, you know me. I've got no plans to remarry, and Mason's my responsibility. If you mind, Madelyn can come by less often. We definitely won't affect your marriage."

After he said that, he made a show of giving Madelyn a push, his eyes brimming with tenderness.

"You should go with your husband. It's already been two years anyway. I've gotten used to taking care of Mason alone."

As if Mason had sensed the tension, he started wailing in Madelyn's arms.

Madelyn immediately panicked. She frantically comforted Mason, wiping away his tears as she rocked him in her arms.

When he finally stopped crying, she handed him back to Jackson. Then, she turned on me with a glare.

"Samuel Lowe, that's enough! Mason had already been lacking the care of a mother because of you, and now you want me to abandon him? Is that it?

"Besides, you've also been caring for him all this time, and he's used to your care. You'd better accept him wholeheartedly, or you can forget about marrying me."

My breath hitched. Then I turned and walked away.

Mason had been lacking the care of a mother because of me?

I rushed downstairs, not wanting to stay another second. Opening the car door, I got in and prepared to leave.

But just when I tried to shut it, Madelyn appeared.

She wore a deep frown as she stopped me from closing the door.

"Samuel, when I first found out I was pregnant, I wanted to tell you about it. I never meant to hide it. But he's your best friend, and since he didn't want to remarry, I didn't want to make things ugly between us. I figured things would settle once Mason grew up."

I stared at her in disbelief, my eyes turning red.

"Well, too bad you let it slip. I might be willing to help Jackson babysit, but I will never accept my fiancee having another man's child."

When Madelyn saw my reddened eyes, she mocked, "You're the heir of Lowe Group. With all your money and pedigree, you can't even accept something this trivial? Compared to Jackson, you're pathetic.

"He might come from an ordinary family, but he's more of a man than you'll ever be."

I felt my nose sting when I heard that, the kind that came right before tears. "I'm done talking to you."

Madelyn yanked me out of the driver's seat before wrapping her arms around me.

"Come on, stop making a scene. I'll make it up to you. Just not right now."

I gave a hollow laugh, breaking free from her embrace.

After looking away for a while, I said faintly, "Forget it. Let's break up."