Chapter 3

Serena took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm, if only just on the surface.

Turning to look at Dawn, she asked, "Ms. Zeller, are you Shawn's biological mother?"

Dawn met Serena's gaze and smiled gracefully. "Five years ago, I had to hide the fact that I had a child because of my career and my contract with the company."

Serena's breath hitched. "Then his father…"

"Silas and I are his true parents."

Dawn's voice was gentle, yet each word stabbed into Serena's heart like merciless daggers.

Serena couldn't breathe—the suffocating pain in her chest making all the blood drain from her face in an instant.

The son she had raised as her own for five whole years, the boy she had poured her heart and soul into…was in truth Silas and Dawn's son!

From the very beginning, Silas had tricked her.

He didn't cheat on her after getting married, no—she was nothing more than a pawn from the very start!

"Sorry for hiding this from you, Ms. Vale. In my opinion, you should have been in the know from the start, but Silas felt that the fewer outsiders who knew it, the better."

Dawn's words resounded in Serena's head, echoing like a haunting melody.

An outsider. That was what Silas thought she was.

Serena had thought that after five years of living together and raising a child together, they at least shared mutual trust—like family—even if there was no romance between them.

She hadn't even imagined that the man who slept in the same bed as her always treated her as nothing more than an outsider.

Serena couldn't understand. Why did Silas lie to her? If she had known the truth from the very start, she would have never allowed herself to fall this deep.

"Ms. Vale, thank you for all your hard work over the past five years. Silas and I are truly grateful for how well you treated Shawn," Dawn said, looking at Serena. "You raised him very well. As his mother, you have my sincere thanks."

Serena only stared at Dawn, not uttering a response as she pursed her pale lips tightly. She seemed calm on the surface, but the hand that was holding Shawn close was trembling.

"Nuh uh, you're lying! Mom's my only mom!" Shawn screamed. "You're a bad lady! You're not my mom, I don't want you to be my mom!"

Dawn froze.

Then, she covered her mouth, eyes reddened with tears. The very sight of it was enough to incite everyone's pity.

Freya's face darkened instantly. She stood up and yelled at Serena, "So this is how you educate a child? Look, the boy has no respect for his elders!"

Serena was overwhelmed with emotions, so arguing with Freya was the last thing on her mind right now.

However, thinking of Shawn, she still said, "Shawn is still just a child. You have to give him some time to process this."

"Hmph! Do you think I don't know what you're planning?" Freya mocked. "We're all women here, so I can see your horrid plans from a mile away!

"Jeeves!"

Jeeves, the butler, immediately rushed over. "What is it, Madam?"

"Take the young master away from that horrible woman! Don't let our bloodline get polluted by a woman with ulterior motives!"

Jeeves looked troubled at this request, but he still moved to pull Shawn away from Serena.

"Let go of me! I don't wanna! I wanna go home with mom…" Shawn protested.

Serena frowned, unable to bear the sight of Shawn crying so violently. "Shawn has asthma, so can you not be so rough with him?"

Hearing this, Freya visibly froze.

Dawn got up from her seat and went to hold Freya's hand, her voice trembling.

"Mrs. Freya, tell Jeeves to let go of Shawn, please? I'm alright. It's my fault for not fulfilling the responsibilities of a mother, so I deserve not to be recognized as his mother."

Freya sighed and waved her hand, worried that Shawn would have an asthmatic episode as well. Jeeves let go of Shawn immediately.

"Mom!"

Shawn ran back into Serena's arms, sobbing. The force of his lunge made her stumble back a bit before she regained her balance.

When Shawn ran back to her, she had hit her stomach. The pain in her abdomen worsened, and her face grew even paler.

"Mom, Granny's tricking me, right? You're my mom, not anyone else! I don't want another mom!" Shawn sobbed, sniffling in her arms.

Serena patted his head gently.

The boy had been frail since birth, born with asthma, so crying like this was dangerous for him. Serena had raised him all this time, so she simply couldn't bear to leave him like this.

"There, there, Shawn. Mom's not abandoning you, alright? Don't cry, okay?" Serena coaxed.

All she wanted to do at that moment was calm Shawn down.

Yet when Freya heard these words, the meaning was twisted completely. "How shameless can you get, Serena? Shawn's not even your child!"

Freya, who had always prided herself on her dignity and grace, now showed her unabashed contempt for Serena, not holding anything back.

"I was wondering why Shawn's never been close to me and why he's been so intent on having you as his mother! I get it now—you've been brainwashing him into thinking that!"

Upon being thrown with such baseless and ridiculous accusations, even Serena's expression became cold.

"Mrs. Freya, Silas and I got married without your permission back then, so I can accept that you don't like me. I never forced it. But in front of a five-year-old, shouldn't you consider trying to become a better example? Are we disrespectful to our elders, or are you throwing around your seniority to act like a fool?"

"You!" Freya hadn't expected Serena to talk back like this, and she was furious. "Are you trying to provoke me?"

"Not really. There's no need for that."

Serena met Freya's gaze, unfaltering and unbending.

"Whether we'll have a divorce is a matter between Silas and me. You can keep Shawn. I won't fight with you on that front."

"No!" The moment Shawn heard that he was going to be left behind, he hugged Serena even tighter, his sobs growing louder. "Don't leave me, Mom! I don't like it here! I don't like that bad lady! I just wanna go home, so can't you take me home?"

At that point, Shawn's voice was already hoarse from sobbing.

In the five years Serena had taken care of him, he had never once cried to this extent.

Serena sighed. "He's too agitated right now, so I'll take him home with me. Once he calms down, I'll explain everything to him properly."

Serena held Shawn's hand and turned around, walking towards the entrance.

The boy, wanting nothing more than to leave the house, scampered after her quickly, as if worried he would be left behind if he were any slower.

"Shawn!" Dawn shouted, chasing after them hurriedly.

In the courtyard, she grabbed Shawn's arm.

"Please don't go, Shawn! I had no other choice back then, but I love you!"

"Let go of me, you awful lady!" Shawn yelled.

He tried to shake himself free, but Dawn grabbed him so tightly that it hurt.

"Mom, save me! The bad lady is trying to catch me!"

Serena looked at Dawn, who was clinging to Shawn tightly, and her expression became complicated.

When Dawn realized she couldn't pull Shawn away, she turned towards Serena. Her beautiful face was streaked with tears, almost like a painting.

"Ms. Vale, I'm begging you! I gave birth to him after nine grueling months. I know that you've raised him for the past five years, but he's not a tool for you to keep Silas tied to your side! Please, don't use him like this, alright?"

Hearing this, Serena stared at Dawn in disbelief.

What in the world had she done to deserve these baseless accusations from Freya and Dawn, who insisted that she wanted to use her son as a means to an end?

At that point, Freya had rushed out as well. Seeing that Serena wasn't willing to let go of Shawn, she told the servants to push Serena away.

Serena stumbled backwards from the force, almost falling to the ground. She gripped her stomach tightly as the pain within grew, frowning as she watched Shawn get dragged back to Dawn and Freya by the maids.

Shawn sobbed hysterically. "Let go of me! I wanna go home with Mom! Mom…!"

Seeing this, Serena couldn't help but feel helpless.

She was up against Shawn's biological mother and grandmother.

Compared to them, she was just a woman about to divorce Silas. Truly, she was nothing more than an outsider.

At that moment, a black Bentley drove into the yard. Hearing this, Serena turned around.

The rear door opened, and out came Silas.