Chapter 4

The party's hubbub died down instantly.

Jessica held a two-month-old baby boy. He was fair and chubby, and he was sleeping soundly.

Ethan stared hard at her, his expression darkening. "What crazy stunt are you pulling now?"

She sneered. "I'm crazy? Take a look at the kid's birth date before you say that."

She slapped a birth certificate on the table. It was dated two months ago, when Ethan had been overseas chasing investors.

What stung even more was the name listed under "Mother"—Lori Shore.

The reporters exploded.

"Oh, my God! Even a publicly listed CEO got cheated on. This is huge!"

Ethan tore the document in half. "It's fake. Lori video-called me every day. How could she possibly have had a baby behind my back?"

I rubbed my nose, feeling diffident.

Jessica had come prepared.

"I knew she wouldn't believe me." She pulled out a paternity report. "The probability of a biological parent-child relationship between the child and Lori is 99.99%."

Monica's wineglass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor.

Ethan finally stiffened, but he still shook his head. "Paternity tests can be faked, too."

Jessica's smile grew even more triumphant. "Then how about an eyewitness?"

The moment she said that, a woman in a white coat walked into the banquet hall. She was the delivery nurse who'd been on duty that day.

She said, "I was on shift in the delivery room the day Ms. Shore gave birth. After the baby was born, I took him for his checks myself. She stayed in the hospital for three days. I can't possibly be mistaken."

The room went dead silent. Countless cameras swung toward me in unison.

Jessica kept pressing on, step by step. "Lori, we've got the birth certificate, the paternity test, and the delivery nurse right here. Do you have the guts to say this kid isn't yours?"

I glanced down at the bundle in her arms. After a beat of silence, I said, "It's true. He's mine."

All the color drained from Ethan's face, and the reporters surged forward.

Jessica was so excited her voice shook. "Hear that? You bust your ass making money to support her, and she goes and has another man's baby behind your back!"

Ethan just stood there, saying nothing for a long time.

It was the first time I had ever seen him like that. He wasn't angry—it was like someone had hollowed him out.

But the next second, he actually lowered his voice and asked me, "Is it because I'm still not rich enough?"

I froze.

His eyes slowly reddened. "When you wanted 20 million, I didn't have it. When you wanted a house and shares, I was always a step too late. Were you willing to have that guy's child because he has more money than me?"

Jessica was stunned. "Ethan! You got cheated on, and you're blaming yourself?"

But he didn't take his eyes off me. He said, "Lori, tell me how much more do I have to make before you'll keep taking my money and not switch to someone else?"

My heart suddenly ached. He was an idiot. Things had already gotten to this point, and he still thought the problem was that he wasn't good enough.

Jessica furiously shoved the baby into the nurse's arms. "Fine! You won't give up until you're backed into a corner, will you? Then I'll make the other man tell you the truth himself!"

She turned toward the doors and shouted, "Come in!"

The banquet hall doors were pushed open. A young man in a suit walked in slowly. The moment I saw his face, my heart sank.

Jessica pointed at him triumphantly. "It's him! When Lori was in the hospital giving birth, he practically lived there. He was the one who signed the birth certificate paperwork!"

She turned to the man. "Tell everyone what your relationship with Lori is."

He looked at her, then at Ethan, whose face was ashen. He frowned and asked, "Ms. Lark, have you misunderstood something? I'm the baby's…"