Seeing Calla sitting there like a lifeless doll, Alicia quickly grabbed her shoulders."Calla, don't be like this! I'm worried about you. Say something!"Calla blankly turned to Alicia and mumbled, "What is he doing? Just this morning, he left a message saying he was going to the courthouse to marry me. How could he change in just a few hours? Why is he doing this? What is going on?"Alicia's eyes were downcast. She remained silent for a moment before speaking. "You have to come back to your senses, Calla. Maybe we were wrong from the beginning. We thought Mercer would love you and cherish you. "We forgot who we are—we're just ordinary women from humble backgrounds. Even if he showed interest, it was probably just for fun. It was just wishful thinking when we thought he would marry you!"Her words brought Calla back to reality.Calla cried out painfully, "It's fine if he doesn't marry me or love me, but why would he deceive me?" She clenched her fists and pounded on the iron ben
On the other end, Mercer hesitated before saying, "I'm at home. You can come over."Calla could sense the distance in Mercer's voice. It made her heart throb painfully. She resolutely hung up."How did it go?" Alicia asked with concern.Calla's face was ashen. "He wants me to go to his house.""I'll go with you," Alicia offered, only for Calla to decline."I can go by myself." "No can do. I must go with you. Sophie might be there. You can't face them alone," Alicia insisted after a moment's thought.Alicia's words struck Calla again. It was true that Sophie might be at Mercer's house. As she nodded, Alicia hailed them a cab. Feeling lost, Calla got into the car with Alicia and headed to Mercer's house.With Alicia by her side, Calla arrived at Mercer's front door. Staring at the closed door, Calla felt a pang of fear. What if Sophie was inside? Her heart ached at the thought.Sensing Calla's hesitation, Alicia encouraged her. "We're here already. Let's just get this over
"And who the hell are you to us? Mark my words, the day I become the lady of this house is the day you get kicked out of Atlas!" Sophie snarled at Alicia, clearly having no positive feelings for her."Mercer must be blind to pick a bitch like you. I don't give a shit if I lose my job," Alicia shot back, jabbing a finger toward Sophie."Jasmine, get these sluts out of here!" Not knowing what else to do, Sophie commanded Jasmine loudly.Jasmine felt conflicted, but she couldn't disobey Sophie. So, she slowly approached Alicia and Calla. "Ms. Sherman, Ms. Beckett, please leave," she uttered hesitantly.Calla had tears streaming down her face as she shouted, "Mercer, if you're a man, come out here!"The next moment, the bedroom door opened. A tall figure in black trousers and a white shirt stepped out of the room.The room fell silent, and everyone held their breath. Calla's tearful eyes followed him as he walked toward her, her gaze fixed on his expressionless face.When their ey
Calla's eyes stayed locked on Mercer as she waited for his answer. Right then, Sophie suddenly smiled at Mercer. "Mercer, we'll be so happy together with Casper. Tell this woman you never loved her!"Calla ignored Sophie's words, focusing solely on Mercer's response."Hey, they're having a conversation. Why are you butting in?" Alicia snapped at Sophie."And who are you to talk? You're the one who shouldn't be interrupting," Sophie retorted."You—" Alicia began. But before she could continue, Mercer finally broke his long silence."Calla, I made the mistake that many men make. I'm sorry," he said, looking at her."What are you trying to say? What do you mean 'the mistake that many men make?'" Calla demanded, her eyes piercing into his.Mercer's gaze turned cold as he looked at Sophie beside him. "I was only ever infatuated with you, Calla. The person I truly love is Sophie. That's why I can't marry you; I can only marry Sophie. Stop coming around. Don't expect to see me again.
Mercer's gaze was deep as he looked outside the floor-to-ceiling window he stood in front of. Sophie opened the door and walked in just then. When she saw his straight back turned toward her, her eyes hardened, and she spoke coldly, "They've been gone for an hour. Even if you had hawk eyes, you wouldn't be able to see her."Mercer ignored her words, still facing away as he asked, "I've done everything you asked. Can you return Casper to me now?"Sophie smirked and walked up behind him. "Casper is fine. I'll arrange for you to meet him in a few days."Mercer's anger boiled over at those words. He turned abruptly and grabbed Sophie by the shoulders, growling, "Sophie, don't play games with me, or you'll regret it.""I'm not playing games," Sophie insisted, staring straight into Mercer's eyes without a hint of fear. "You did what I asked, but until you marry me, I can't be at ease. What if I give Casper back, and you cancel the wedding? What then?"Mercer's anger intensified, and h
Mercer had seen Sophie off at the airport last time, but it turned out she never even boarded the plane in the first place. She had stayed in Riverford all along.Realizing he had been tricked, Mercer was furious. But with Casper now in Sophie's hands, he couldn't risk doing anything rash. He had to comply with Sophie's demands. The first was to hold a press conference immediately to announce their engagement. And when Calla came looking for him, he had to tell her that he couldn't marry her because he loved Sophie.Though it broke his heart to face Calla, he had to do what Sophie instructed. He couldn't gamble with Casper's life. Calla was an adult, and he knew she was a strong woman. With Alicia by her side, she should be able to withstand this blow.All he could do now was to find Casper first. Once things settled down and he dealt with Sophie, he would go back to Calla. He would explain everything then, and Calla would forgive him.However, Mercer hadn't anticipated that So
Calla was enjoying her steaming plate of pasta when the door suddenly opened, having been unlocked from the outside.She looked up to see Alicia entering the apartment. Dragging a suitcase and carrying a bag with her, she looked disheveled."Are you moving?" Calla asked in confusion, looking at Alicia's discouraged face.Alicia glanced back at Calla and saw that the latter was eating pasta at the table. She immediately dropped her things and rushed over."Are you eating pasta? It smells so good! Give me some!" Saying this, Alicia snatched the plate in front of Calla. She started devouring the pasta with a fork.What was going on? Calla hadn't eaten in days! She was the one going through a breakup, and now her friend was snatching her food."Can't you leave me some?" Calla watched in dismay as Alicia finished most of her pasta in the blink of an eye.A moment later, Alicia wiped her mouth and set down the fork. She said with satisfaction, "Yummy! Your pasta-making skills are gett
Alicia, however, only grinned. "Alright, you've already put me in this situation. There's nothing we can do now, so let me stay with you for a few months."Calla quickly nodded. "I'll not only put a roof over your head for a few months, I'll even feed you three meals a day. I'll also provide you with anything else you need. All for free!""That's more like it!" Alicia said with a smile.Calla then grabbed her phone, only to find it had long run out of battery. She quickly plugged it in to charge, then waited for it to power up.As soon as the phone turned on, a text message popped up. Reading it, Calla suddenly slapped her forehead. "Oh no!""What's wrong?" Alicia asked with a frown."I was supposed to start that new job yesterday, but I was so upset that I forgot. The company messaged me yesterday, saying I don't need to go anymore; the position has been filled!" Calla replied, pouting.Hearing this, Alicia shrugged it off. "I thought it was something serious. Anyway, you weren
Seeing Pierre's expression, Calla realized that a few words wouldn't dispel his suspicions. She reached into her bag, unzipped it, and pulled out the knife.Pierre's eyes widened as he noticed the gleaming knife Calla was pulling out of her bag. He furrowed his brows in concern. "What are you—"Calla explained, "Mercer told me that Casper is my son, that he wasn't stillborn as I was told. I didn't believe him at first, but I was afraid he might be telling the truth, so I went to his house to see him."But I was afraid he might have ulterior motives toward me. As a woman, I'm naturally no match for him. In a moment of desperation, I had to grab this knife from the kitchen for protection. If he dared to do anything to me, I wouldn't have hesitated to use it on him."Her expression was intense, reflecting her genuine fear and resolve.Pierre looked deeply at Calla, then gently touched her cheek. He took the knife from her hand and placed it on a nearby table.Calla then rushed into
Suddenly feeling Mercer's hand on her shoulder, Calla instinctively recoiled. She swatted away his hand and shouted, "Don't touch me, Mercer!"The harm he had caused her was too profound. Even though she now understood his desperate reasons, she still felt immense aversion toward him."Fine, I won't touch you." Mercer retracted his hands and left them suspended in the air."Don't think you can use Casper to threaten me, Mercer. I will never be manipulated by you!" Calla shouted at him.Mercer's expression turned pained at her words. He took a step back, and his eyes filled with profound anguish. "Do you really see me as someone who would use my own son as a bargaining chip?""Yes," Calla replied sternly.Mercer's body swayed slightly, then he turned away in dejection. "If that's the case, then you should leave."Seeing his forlorn figure, Calla felt a pang of sadness, but she couldn't bring herself to trust him again. She turned and walked out of the house.She stumbled out of
At this moment, Mercer clenched his fists. Even with his resolute nature, his eyes seemed misty."This is where I feel most sorry toward you and Clover. Clover is my daughter too. Of course, I wanted her to come into this world healthy. But I couldn't let Casper disappear from this world either."His condition worsened so severely at that time. I was afraid he wouldn't make it to your due date, so I had to take drastic measures..." Mercer struck his fist hard against the wall.Seeing the despondent and remorseful Mercer before her, Calla felt a twinge of compassion, but she still couldn't accept all his explanations.Glancing at the reports in front of her, Calla placed her hand on her cheek. She could feel her fingers trembling.Suddenly, she looked up and asked, "You kept searching for me in Greendale to get me pregnant so you could use the baby's umbilical cord blood to save Casper?"From the timeline Mercer had explained, Casper's condition must have been severe by then.Cal
Mercer smiled bitterly. "I knew that you wouldn't believe me, so I prepared a copy of Casper's medical reports. You can take a look." He pulled out several thick envelopes and set them on the coffee table. Calla frowned upon seeing those envelopes which were all an inch thick. She opened one of them and flipped through the documents inside, frowning as she read. The envelope held reports of Casper's hospitalization in both the city and state hospitals, spanning two years, starting from when Casper was a year old. They were records of Casper's illness and his recovery process.Calla couldn't help thinking about his adorable, chubby face, and she felt her heart clench. She wondered how Casper had managed to triumph over his illness after two years. She couldn't even fathom how painful and difficult the process must have been.Suddenly, Calla noticed something in Casper's surgery reports—a note about how a newborn baby's umbilical cord blood was miraculously compatible with Casper.
"My heart is already in pieces because of you. So what if I hit, cursed, or even stabbed you now? What's the point of doing all that? I beg this of you, Mercer, please let me live my life quietly and stop bothering me!"Stop making up all these ridiculous justifications too. I'm tired—exhausted! I don't want to deal with you anymore," Calla sobbed, tears running down her face.She knew that she shouldn't have cried in front of him. It wasn't just a sign of her weakness, it might also fuel his assumption that she still cared for him. However, she couldn't control it. Whenever she thought of the suffering she'd gone through in the past couple of years, tears ran uncontrollably down her face."I want nothing more than for you to let me tell you the truth in its entirety. I want you and Casper to not miss out on the chance to reconnect as mother and son. "I promise that I'll respect your choice once I'm done telling you everything, and I won't bother you again in the future!" Mercer l
Calla's eyes widened as she remembered everything that had happened in the past. She stumbled over her words as she said, "B-But we were going to get married after we were back on good terms with each other, and I'd already met Casper at that point. Why didn't you tell me about him back then?"Mercer looked at Calla meaningfully. "Do you remember when I told you, on the day we were about to get our marriage certificate, that I had a big surprise for you?"Calla thought about it, then nodded. He had indeed said that he'd prepared a big gift for her. Could the gift have been Casper?Facing Calla's doubtful look, Mercer nodded. "Yes. I wanted to tell you after we received our marriage certificates, but I didn't expect something else to happen on that day."Calla sneered. "'Something else' is a nice way of putting it. You didn't go to get the marriage certificates done with me, because you chose to hold a press conference with Sophie instead, announcing your marriage with her."When
Mercer's face fell. He sat on an armchair before asking Calla, "Do you dislike me that much? Are you not even willing to stay by my side for one minute?""I don't dislike you—I hate you. Also, one minute is too long—I can't even bear to stay by your side for one second!" Calla replied without hesitation.As memories—filled with love and resentment alike—flashed in Calla's mind, she felt an intense hatred for Mercer. If not for Casper, she would never have stepped inside this place again, much less take a seat across Mercer to have a conversation.Calla's words hurt Mercer. He sat there for a while with his head lowered before lighting up a cigarette and taking a long drag.Calla couldn't help coughing when the acrid smell of smoke entered her nose. Realizing that he'd made her cough, Mercer quickly stubbed the cigarette in his ashtray. Calla didn't want to waste any more time with him. She asked impatiently, "Why did you have me come here? Who is the woman you had Casper with?"
Calla finished getting ready, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked over to Clover. She gave her a quick peck on the cheek and then turned to Fiona. "Fiona, I'm going out to meet a friend.""Okay," Fiona replied with a smile, then continued feeding Clover some water.Calla left the apartment and was about to press the elevator button when Pierre emerged from the opposite door."Hey, aren't you supposed to be off work today? Where are you going this early?" Pierre asked, noticing Calla was heading out."Oh, I'm meeting Alicia. She's going back to work tomorrow, so we're hanging out later," Calla replied hastily, avoiding eye contact with Pierre. She had never been good at lying."She's going to be your bridesmaid. It's only right to express our gratitude," Pierre said with a smile, walking into the elevator with Calla."Where are you meeting her? I can give you a ride," Pierre offered."We're meeting at the department store. It's not on your way, so you should get going. I'
Calla was initially certain that Mercer's goal was to use Casper to ruin her marriage with Pierre.But as the night wore on, Calla's doubts grew. She couldn't shake the feeling that maybe—just maybe—Mercer was telling the truth. Perhaps Casper was indeed her child, the one she had given birth to all those years ago.She couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope. What if her child had not died? What if he was still alive and well?As the first light of dawn crept into the room, Calla made a decision. She would go see Mercer, no matter what his motives were. She had to get to the bottom of it.Calla gazed at Clover, who was still fast asleep. She gently stroked her daughter's cheek. "Clover, don't you think it would be wonderful to have an older brother to share your toys and adventures with?Clover's chubby face didn't move. Calla's eyes lingered on her for a moment before she spoke again. "I have to get to the bottom of this no matter what the outcome is. I have to find out if Casp