Chapter 4

“You…” I clenched my jaw as humiliation and fury raged inside me.

“What? You don’t want to?”

Liam pressed the blade harder against Teddy’s pale throat, instantly drawing a thin line of blood.

“I’ll do it! I’ll say whatever you want!”

My eyes burning with tears, I raised my hand and struck myself hard across the face.

Slap!

The sharp sound echoed through the cavernous warehouse.

“I’m a home-wrecking lowlife! I took advantage of you when you were down!”

Slap! I hit myself again. Blood immediately trickled from the corner of my mouth.

“I’m a worthless fool! I took your sloppy seconds! I’m utterly disgusting!”

I slapped myself again and again.

My pride no longer mattered. I kept hitting myself, willing to endure any humiliation if it meant keeping Teddy alive.

It was not long before my face was badly swollen.

“Hahaha! Yes! That’s it! Keep going!” Liam laughed like a madman.

“Dave, you were such a big shot back in college. You were the student body president, and you were too good for everyone. Look at you now, groveling at my feet like a dog!”

Once Liam had finished reveling in my humiliation, he smugly stopped the recording.

“All right. Since you’ve put on such a convincing show, I suppose I’ll let the little runt live for now.”

As he spoke, Liam casually nudged Teddy with the toe of his shoe.

Teddy’s small body lay limp and unresponsive, like a discarded rag doll.

Liam froze for a moment, then crouched down and reached a hand toward Teddy’s nose.

“Hey. Quit playing dead.”

A few seconds later, Liam jerked his hand back as if he had been burned.

I immediately knew something had gone terribly wrong. I no longer cared about the fact that Liam was armed and rushed forward in a panic.

I shoved Liam aside and gathered Teddy into my arms. “Teddy! Teddy, wake up!”

The body in my arms was cold and stiff, silently proclaiming a cruel truth.

“No, this can’t be happening. Teddy, I’ll take you to get those little cakes you wanted. Please, open your eyes and look at me!”

I broke down sobbing as I began performing CPR on him with trembling hands.

Just then, the screech of tires came from outside the warehouse. A moment later, Jennifer stumbled inside in a panic.

When she saw Teddy lying lifeless in my arms, she let out a piercing scream. “Teddy! Teddy, please don’t scare me! Why are you so cold? Let me warm you up. Mommy will warm you up.”

Jennifer snatched Teddy from my arms and clutched him tightly to her chest.

However, no matter how desperately she called his name, the little boy in her arms would never respond again.

After a long while, she noticed Liam standing silently nearby. She gently laid Teddy down and rose to her feet. Her eyes were bloodshot.

“Liam, you monster!”

She suddenly opened her bag and dumped everything onto the floor.

Among the scattered belongings, she found a yellowed medical report and slammed it against his chest.

“Take a good look at this! Do you know what it is?” Jennifer’s hoarse voice echoed through the warehouse.

It was a prenatal report from five years ago.

Her hand trembled as she pointed fiercely at the date printed at the top.

“Look at the date! I had this checkup fifteen days after you ran away. It says right here that I was already almost eight weeks pregnant. Do the math.

“Teddy was conceived before you went bankrupt and disappeared, when we were still together! He was your son! You’ve killed your own child with your own hands!”