Chapter 1

Alex Mitchell leaned forward to tease the baby in his arms, looking confident. "Let's name him Amatus Mitchell."

He looked up at Emilia Hayes and declared, "That name represents how you will always be my beloved."

The crowd erupted in applause.

"Amatus Mitchell! What a beautiful name!" one praised.

"It shows just how much he cares about her and commemorates the way they first met. It's such a meaningful gesture."

Emilia's eyes reddened at his declaration of love, her hand still wrapped around Alex's wrist.

Her younger brother, Elliot Hayes, slapped the table and laughed. "That's my man. Even the name he picked for his baby is romantic.

"Unlike my brother-in-law, Ryan. The names he came up with were so tacky, they sounded like something an old man in the countryside would choose."

I stared at the smile on Emilia's face and suddenly remembered what happened after she got pregnant.

I had stayed up several nights and filled an entire notebook with names. One of them was "Nathaniel Parker", chosen in memory of my late father.

Emilia had taken one glance at it before throwing the notebook into the trash. "Too tacky. And why would you name a baby after that dead man? It reeks of death. You can keep whatever your father left you if you want, but don't force it on my baby."

So it wasn't that the name was bad. She simply didn't want a name chosen by me.

I let out a low chuckle.

Emilia finally looked at me. "What's so funny?"

"Emilia." I looked straight at her and spoke slowly. "Once that name is made official today, some things can never be undone."

Elliot scoffed. "Are you trying to threaten her? You've spent 15 years kissing up to my sister. If Alex hadn't stepped aside back then, do you think you ever would have married her?

"Now you're throwing a fit because the baby is taking Alex's last name? You should be thanking him for letting you have my sister in the first place."

I shot him a sharp glance. "Say that again."

The lighthearted mood around the table quickly turned tense.

Alex pulled the baby closer and leaned back as though I had frightened him, deliberately shielding the baby.

"Enough." He sighed. "Getting worked up over a baby's last name makes you look pretty pathetic. If it really bothers you, I'll let you name him instead."

He glanced down at the baby with a faint, knowing smile. "Besides, a baby's last name doesn't matter. The person who raises him is the one who really gets to be his dad."

Emilia felt guilty when she saw my reaction. But the moment she heard Alex speak, her expression hardened. "That's enough. Alex is willing to let it go now, so how much longer are you going to keep pushing this?"

She walked up to me and lowered her voice. "It's just a last name. How can you be this petty? Aren't you embarrassed? If you really loved the baby, you wouldn't need a last name to prove you're his father."

I looked at her and suddenly had nothing left to say.

Just then, the photographer came over and reminded us it was time for the family photo.

Emilia immediately hooked her arm around Alex's. "Let's take a picture."

She took the baby from Alex but didn't come toward me. Instead, she stood beside him. Alex naturally placed his arm around her shoulder.

The photographer looked at them and smiled. "The baby's father, please get a little closer to the mom."

Everyone heard him, but no one person corrected him.

Alex simply moved closer, sliding his hand from Emilia's shoulder to her waist. The baby was between them. They looked like a perfect family of three.

My mom, Winona Williams, her eyes red from tears, tried to get into the picture.

But Elliot waved her off. "Winona, it's the young couple's family photo. Don't crowd them."

Mom froze, then quietly returned to my side.

When the flash went off, I saw her secretly wipe away a tear.

A staff member soon came over with an invoice. "Ms. Hayes, since the baby's name has been changed, the backdrop and photo album cover need to be remade. The rush fee comes to 2,800 dollars. Please settle the payment."

Emilia didn't even take the invoice. She merely looked at me. "Take care of it."

When I didn't move, she frowned, pulled my supplementary card from her purse, and slapped it down in front of me.

"Hurry up. You're holding up the rest of the celebration."

I still didn't reach for it.

The room gradually fell silent.

Emilia's face darkened, and she turned to Mom. "Winona, can you talk some sense into him? Today is an important day for me, and he's making everyone uncomfortable over a last name. Please talk to him. He's just embarrassing himself in front of everyone."

Mom went pale. She had already endured so much humiliation, yet she still tried to smooth things over and grabbed my sleeve.

"Let it go, Ryan. Please, just pay for it." Her voice grew quieter. "I'm old. A little humiliation doesn't hurt me. But the baby can't grow up without a complete family."

I looked into her tearful eyes, and the last bit of hesitation in my heart disappeared.

I reached for the card.

Only then did Emilia's expression soften. "That's more like it, honey. Once you've made the payment, you and Winona should head home. You're only ruining the mood by staying here.

"The name-change papers will be sent to the house tomorrow. Remember to sign them. Don't cause another scene, okay?"

I looked down at the card in my hand.

I didn't take it to the staff. Instead, I slipped it into my pocket.

Emilia froze.

I took Mom's cold hand and turned toward the door.

"I'll sign the papers. But Emilia, remember this. If all of you have decided he's a Mitchell, then from now on, don't spend another cent of my money on a child who belongs to the Mitchell family."