Chapter 2
Olivia was a year ahead of us in school, a campus beauty. She and Jack were the acknowledged golden couple of the school, everyone said they were meant to be together.
Unfortunately, as soon as Olivia graduated, she dumped Jack and married a high-level executive at a foreign company.
Jack hated her but couldn’t let her go. He drank excessively, got into fights, skipped classes, the works.
It was I who quietly helped him organize his coursework, attended classes for him, wrote his papers, so he barely managed to get his diploma.
At the graduation party, Jack and I had a drunken one-night stand.
From then on, I became his hidden lover.
I thought that someday Jack would see my goodness, but I never imagined he would only scheme to ruin me, and our child.
Now that I’ve woken up from the dream, I should come to my senses too.
“She’s here to treat her child’s illness, I heard it’s leukemia,” Jack continued, with a hint of regret in his voice, “She might need to stay at my place for a few days.”
I nodded, “This is your home, you can let whoever you want stay.”
Jack’s eyes flashed with surprise, just as he was about to ask further.
At that moment, my phone rang, and I saw a message from my mom: [Lucas is in the hospital]
A buzzing filled my head, and I didn’t care about anything else. I grabbed my coat and headed out:
“I’m going out for a bit.”
Jack blocked me, his eyes probing: “Where are you going so late?”
I really didn’t have the energy to explain, so I pushed past him and rushed out the door.
At the hospital, I saw my mom crying uncontrollably.
“Emma, I don’t know what happened, he just ended up in the hospital…”
“When I picked him up from school, the teacher said he had a stomachache. I went to the clinic to get some medicine, and he felt much better after taking it.”
“In the evening, we were playing in the garden of the complex. I walked away for a moment, and he fainted…”
Mom was both remorseful and frustrated, her tears unstoppable.
I comforted Mom while looking at Lucas in the emergency room.
His usually rosy little face was now completely pale.
My heart clenched into a knot.
Fortunately, the doctor said it was just mild food poisoning, and he would be fine after the IV drip.
“Mom, when he’s done, go pack some things. I’m taking you and Lucas back to our hometown.”
Mom looked at my grave expression and didn’t ask much, just nodded repeatedly.
“Mommy…” Lucas lay on my shoulder and asked weakly, “Why are we going back to our hometown? Didn’t you say you’d take me to see Daddy on my birthday?”
“Daddy, he…”
“Emma!”
Jack’s voice was like a summons from hell, sending a shiver through my body.
“You’re delaying the guardianship because you want to take the child back to your hometown?!”
“You dare lie to me?”
Jack was furious, striding towards us.
Lucas and Jack looked very much alike, the kind of resemblance where you could tell they were father and son at a glance.
“Daddy…”
Lucas cried out, wanting Jack to hold him, and refused to leave with me no matter what I said.
My eyes grew hot, my nose stung, and tears fell.
Lucas, meeting his father for the first time, made a fuss, insisting on going home with him:
“Mommy, I want to see your home.”
“Mommy, please?”
Before I could answer, Jack was already coaxing Lucas to go home.
No matter what I said, Lucas was determined to go with him.