Chapter 1
“I’ll take care of the legal documents,” Noah’s firm answer rekindled my hope.
As long as the change of Lucas’s guardianship is completed, Jack won’t be able to sign the surgery consent form!
After hanging up the phone, I immediately canceled Jack’s guardianship application.
We had agreed that the date for the guardianship change would be Lucas’s birthday. I had promised to take him to meet his father.
Now it seems I’ll have to break that promise.
The next second, Jack’s call came in.
“Emma, why did you cancel the guardianship application?”
“You think I’m that free? To play family drama with you?”
“If you don’t want the kid to recognize me, get lost! I won’t pay a penny in child support!”
His barrage of accusations made my fingers go numb.
When I accidentally got pregnant back then, I was both anxious and excited.
The relationship without status between Jack and me made me too eager to hold onto something.
I thought Lucas was a gift from heaven, so I carefully cherished this stolen happiness.
It turns out I was able to give birth to Lucas not because I was smart, but because of Jack’s careful arrangement.
He wanted to use my child’s life to exchange for Olivia’s child’s life.
The image of Lucas’s obedient face floated in my mind, and my heart felt like it was being sliced by countless blades.
“Lucas has been sick these past few days, so the guardianship matter can only be delayed for a few days.”
I answered with a straight face, but heard a woman’s voice from the other end of the phone:
“Didn’t you say that child was very healthy? How could he be sick? She must be lying to you!”
The voice was soft, but I guessed it was Olivia.
“Jack, do you have a woman with you?”
He obviously panicked and stammered: “I’m just worried that I’ll be on a business trip in a few days, and the timing won’t be good.”
“Suit yourself.”
Jack had always been hot and cold towards me, giving a slap followed by a piece of candy.
For the past decade or so, I had been foolishly content with this treatment.
I didn’t pursue the matter further and just calmly hung up the phone.
Before Lucas was born, I had bought a two-bedroom apartment in the complex where Jack lived.
My mom had always been helping to take care of Lucas.
I sent a message to my mom, planning to pick up Lucas after school and go straight back to our hometown.
But I didn’t receive a reply, and no one answered when I called.
Just as I was thinking of going over to check, I bumped into Jack who had just returned as I opened the door.
“A gift I bought for you on my business trip.”
Jack threw a bag in front of me with an air of condescension.
I looked at the bag in my arms and smiled bitterly. This was the third time he had given me this same bag, not even changing the size or color.
In the past, I could still comfort myself that he was too busy, and it was already good that he remembered to buy a gift.
But now, I couldn’t fool myself anymore.
I coldly looked at Jack, his loose collar revealing several hickeys.
There was a lipstick stain on the back of his shirt collar.
Over the years, Jack would go on business trips every so often, lasting from three or four days to half a month.
Now I knew that every so-called business trip was actually him accompanying Olivia and her child.
“By the way, Olivia is back in the country.”
His somber voice struck my heart.
For the past decade, this was the first time I had heard Olivia’s name from his mouth.