Chapter 1

Mark Zimmer's shouts echoed through the empty hospital hallway, drawing countless curious stares.

His son cried in his arms. His face was covered in patchy red rashes; it was awful to look at.

I instinctively protected my daughter, Nora. Her condition was much better, with only a few red spots on her arm.

Mark was furious. He pointed at my daughter and shouted with a trembling voice, "How dare you say she isn't my child, Summer?

"Look at her eyes, and look at her nose! She looks exactly like me when I was a child! You did this on purpose! You gave birth to her and let her inherit your illness, all to get back at me!"

I almost laughed from anger at his ridiculous logic.

"Are you stupid, Mark? Nora's eyes look like mine, and her nose looks like her dad's. What does that have anything to do with you?" I asked.

"Besides, it's only a seafood allergy, not some illness."

"Seafood allergy?" he asked. He laughed, almost hysterically, like it was a huge joke.

"How dare you still lie to me? This is your damn hereditary illness!" he exclaimed.

He tried to grab Nora's hand.

"Let me have a look! Let's see how your defective genes have ruined her!" he shouted.

Nora was frightened by his twisted expression. She burst into tears and clung tightly to my leg.

"Mom, I'm scared…" she said, sobbing.

I felt bad for her, so I crouched and held her closely in my arms.

"Don't be scared, Nora. I'm here," I said to comfort her.

Suddenly, someone cut in. It was the voice of a woman, a voice that was filled with superiority.

"Stop it, Mark. You'll scare the child," she said.

I looked up and saw a well-dressed woman walking over toward us. She clung to his arm affectionately.

It was Coco Lynn, the so-called girl-next-door with perfect genes, that Mark had once praised. She became his wife.

She looked at me with scrutiny.

She spoke softly to Mark, "I know you care about the child, but you can't be so harsh to Summer. Raising a child alone isn't easy, after all."

Coco painted me as the pathetic single mother who had given birth out of wedlock.

The murmurs around us grew louder.

"She's the ex-girlfriend who birthed a child in secret."

"Look at that guy, acting like he's interrogating her. She probably wants to use the child to gain something."

"Some women are unbelievable. She knows she has bad genes. Yet, she still gave birth to the child. Now the child has to suffer."

The insults hurt my feelings.

Hearing Coco's words, Mark not only failed to calm down but grew more self-righteous.

"How can I not be upset? Look, Coco! My daughter has been ruined by her damn genes!" he shouted.

He turned toward me and ordered in a condescending tone, "Give me the child, Summer. I'll bring her to do the most thorough tests and find the best doctors for her. I won't let her end up like you, to be sick for life!"