Chapter 4

Sarah nodded obediently. “Thank you, Mom. Dad.”

My heart went completely cold as I watched.

In my previous life, they had beaten me to death with a hoe. In this one, they were trying to beat me to death again.

They refused to believe me. All they believed was that damned test report.

“Fine. I’ll agree to the divorce.” I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth. “But I need to clear my name. You can’t pin these pregnancies of unknown origin on me.”

A strange smile appeared on Sarah’s face. “Fine.”

At her signal, William, his face murderous, aimed a high-definition livestream camera at me.

“Daniel Cooper! Today, in front of the whole world, you’re going to give Sarah and every woman whose feelings you deceived and whose pregnancy you caused an explanation! I’ll make sure everyone sees what a hypocritical, cheating bastard you really are!”

He and several burly men shoved me all the way to the busiest plaza in the city.

Drawn by the commotion, people stopped to watch.

Sarah stood before the camera, her shoulders trembling as she cried.

My chest ached. Instinctively, I reached out to comfort her.

But she recoiled like a startled rabbit and slapped me across the face.

“Don’t touch me with your filthy hands! You cheating, lying bastard who sleeps with women and abandons them! You make me sick!”

The livestream comments exploded at once:

[Drop dead, you cheating bastard!]

[You go, girl!!!]

[I can smell the scumbag through the screen!]

[He deserves to be chemically castrated!]

[I recorded this. Can’t wait for it to trend.]

She swayed unsteadily, and pain twisted through my chest. Instinctively, I reached out to steady her.

“Sarah, we loved each other so much. Why won’t you believe me?”

But she flung my hand away as if it had burned her and stumbled back, her eyes full of fear and disgust.

“Don’t touch me! You disgust me!”

The sight of her left me both heartbroken and helpless.

“Sarah, you know you’re the only one I’ve ever loved. Why are you doing this?”

A bitter laugh broke from her as tears streamed down her face. “You call that love? You got eighteen women pregnant at once, then refused to take responsibility for any of them!

“You refused to take responsibility for me, for them, or for those unborn children! You slept around without a care in the world. Do you really think that’s acceptable, Daniel Cooper? You are a heartless bastard!”

As she spoke, her emotions finally broke. With a thud, she dropped to her knees and began banging her head against the ground.

“I’m begging you! Please leave me alone! I really can’t take this anymore...”

The eighteen assistants knelt in a neat row behind her, each holding up a paternity report that identified me as the father.

The crowd’s anger erupted completely:

[The evidence is overwhelming, and he still wants to deny it? What trash! He’s not even a real man!]

[The proof is right there, and he still won’t admit it! Beat this scumbag to death!]

[Cheating trash like him deserves to be castrated!]

[Putting on an amnesia act now? You weren’t saying that when you were having fun!]

[Hit him! Scumbags like him deserve it!]

The livestream comments flew by in a frenzy.

The accusations and furious shouts from the crowd drowned me out in an instant.

I tried to explain. “No! It isn’t what you think! I never touched any of them...”

But my voice was barely audible beneath the roar of the crowd.

“You’re still making excuses!”

“Hit him!”

I did not know who struck first, but a bottle of water smashed into my head.

Then fists and kicks rained down on me from every direction. I curled up, shielding my vital spots.

In the chaos, a sharp pain exploded at the back of my head. Everything went black, and I lost consciousness.

...

I did not know how long had passed when I woke to the smell of disinfectant.

A stark white hospital ceiling filled my vision. The slightest movement made my whole body feel as though it had been torn apart.

The nurse changing my dressing saw that I was awake. She gave me a disdainful look and snorted.

I closed my eyes weakly, consumed by humiliation and despair.

Then a thought suddenly struck me.

At last, I understood why all eighteen assistants had become pregnant with my children, even though I never touched any of them.