Semua Bab Thought You Could Fool Me? Well, Nope: Bab 1 - Bab 9

"Hear me out, Melanie—" my husband, Cyrus Parker, pleaded, stepping forward to shield his son, Caleb Parker, behind him. That instinctive gesture pierced my heart like a blade."This is not the place to talk," I cut him off, picking up my bag. "Let that woman come and collect her son. Then we'll talk.""Paige isn't feeling well—"I stared coldly at him. "Cyrus, do you want me to call Grandpa right now, or should I have the lawyer send you the papers directly?"Cyrus fell silent. The agreement I held was enough to strip him of his position as CEO of Parker Corporation and leave him with nothing.Just then, Caleb peeked out from behind Cyrus and shouted at me, "Don't bully my daddy, you evil woman!"A child's words carried no malice, yet they cut deeper than any blade.Cyrus hurriedly clamped a hand over Caleb's mouth, his eyes wide with fear as he looked at me."Such fine parenting," I remarked with a bitter twist of my lips. "It seems the only skill Paige has honed over the yea

I scoffed. "Only natural? Then what was the point of the agreement Cyrus and I signed? Was it just a worthless piece of paper?"Geoffrey's tone sharpened. "Mel! You are the lady of the Parker family. You need to look at the bigger picture. As long as that woman doesn't enter the household and threaten your position, what harm is there in leaving a little dignity for Cyrus in public? Besides…"He paused, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over my flat stomach. "It's been five years, and you still haven't shown any signs of getting pregnant. The Parker family's vast legacy needs an heir. Cyrus securing a bloodline outside is also for the family's sake."A chill ran through me. In their eyes, my inability to conceive was a sin. Cyrus cheating on me was because he was soft-hearted, his having a bastard child was him securing an heir, and my anger was simply a lack of perspective."And what if I say I want a divorce?" I stared fixedly at Geoffrey.His expression clouded over, and he slam

Cyrus froze where he stood, cold sweat trickling down his back. He hesitated, unable to make a choice.Paige had appeared at the doorway at some point, holding Caleb's hand, unshed tears shimmering on her lashes. "Cyrus, please don't fight with Ms. Lightwood over me."She let go of Caleb's hand and said, "Ms. Lightwood, I know you hate me. I don't mind dying if it means you'll keep your baby!"After saying that, she pretended to rush toward the window.Cyrus was terrified out of his wits. Without thinking, he lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Paige! Have you gone mad? It's more than ten stories high here!""Let me die! I don't want to put you in such a position, and I never wanted to be the one who tore a family apart..." Paige sobbed pitifully in his arms, and Caleb also began to wail loudly.The hospital room descended into chaos.Then, Geoffrey appeared at the doorway, his voice quiet but carrying immense authority. "Have you all made enough of a scene?"Cyr

When I woke again, I had been transferred from the ICU to a regular ward.That hollow, ripped-apart feeling in my abdomen told me everything I needed to know, even without reaching a hand to check.Cyrus sat by the bed, his eyes bloodshot. When he saw me open my eyes, he hurried over in panic. "Mel, you're awake! Here, have some water."I turned my head away. "I've lost the child, haven't I?"His hand froze in mid-air, his eyes reddening further. He set the cup down and buried his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Mel... We... We just weren't meant to have this child."I turned back to face him, my gaze locking onto his. "Cyrus, it was Paige. She pushed me."Cyrus jerked, and he looked up at me, his eyes a turmoil of conflict."Paige said… She said that you two were in an argument. When you tried to shove her away, you lost your footing and fell. She tried to grab you, but she couldn't hold on. In fact, you even scratched up the back of her hand badly."She's fainted from cryin

Cyrus flipped through the paternity test report with trembling hands."The alleged father is excluded as the biological father.""This… This can't be…"Cyrus collapsed to his knees. He gripped the report so tightly that the veins on his hand bulged. "What is the meaning of this, Paige? Didn't you say Caleb's my son?"Paige crumpled to the floor, her face a mask of ashen terror.Caleb cried and shouted, "Mommy, I want my real daddy! I don't want to stay with this scary man!"Seated in my wheelchair, I was stunned by the revelation. I never expected my relationship with the Parkers to sour over a bastard child.Cyrus lunged forward and grabbed Paige by the neck, his eyes bloodshot. "You lying witch! You killed my child! You're the one who put me in such a predicament!"Geoffrey simply watched with icy detachment. Only when Cyrus was on the verge of strangling the life out of Paige did he gesture for the bodyguards to pull them apart. "Get this woman and her bastard out of my sigh