After a period of dealing with Sophie, Mercer finally discovered Casper's whereabouts. When he sent men to find him, Casper had already developed pneumonia. Half a month of treatment later, Casper's condition took a sudden turn for the worse. His immune system had rapidly deteriorated out of the blue. In that time, he was ultimately diagnosed with leukemia.In a fit of rage, Mercer slapped Sophie hard across the face several times, causing her to faint from fright. From then on, Mercer stayed by Casper's side, seeking treatment and refusing to see Sophie again. Overwhelmed with guilt, Sophie saw her asthma worsen. This eventually led to her long-term hospitalization.Mercer considered bringing Calla back several times to reunite her with her son. But Casper's deteriorating condition made him hesitate. He didn't want Calla to suffer another blow, so he kept everything hidden until now.It was during this time that the doctor eventually suggested finding the child's mother. He pro
"You should've told me," Calla mumbled under her breath. But deep down, she felt guilty. It had been nearly six months since she last set foot in Riverford. A brief daily call to her mom was all she could manage. She knew she hadn't been a good daughter.At that moment, Carol took Calla's hand, a troubled expression on her face. "Calla, could you take a few days off to care for your sister? Even though Harlan hired a doula, your sister had a brush with death. And now, with my hand like this—"Before Carol could finish, Calla quickly replied, "Come on, Mom. Zoey is my sister. It's only right that I take care of her for a few days. Don't worry, I've already asked for days off. I won't be working out of town anymore.""Really? That's wonderful!" Carol was overjoyed to hear that Calla wouldn't be sent to another city again.Calla looked up to find Harlan's gaze on her, his expression a perplexing mix of emotions. She frowned slightly, and Harlan immediately averted his eyes.Just
"How can you even compare Rudy to Harlan? Harlan is a responsible man!" Zoey suddenly interjected.Calla felt regretful after hearing Zoey's outburst. She thought to herself, "Harlan must be the apple of Zoey's eye! I better watch my tongue and not say anything bad about him, even in jest." After all, Zoey and Harlan were married with a child now, making them a family. Calla realized that no matter how close she and Zoey were, they were family in different ways. Thus, Calla reminded herself to be more mindful and focus solely on caring for Zoey. She couldn't keep blurting out everything that came to mind."Calla was just teasing you, why take it so seriously?" Carol chided Zoey with a smile."Calla, I'm sorry. You know me, I tend to be very blunt." Zoey blushed and hastily apologized to Calla."Don't sweat it, we're family." Calla brushed it off with a smile.…That night, Calla stayed over at Harlan's place. It was a three-bedroom, two-living room unit.Zoey, the baby, and
Calla had no choice but to keep counting down the days. In about five to six days, Zoey's baby would be one month old, and then she could finally complete her duty. That afternoon, Calla saw that Zoey and the baby had both fallen asleep. She quietly closed the master bedroom door.It was then that she noticed the doula carrying freshly washed diapers to hang on the balcony. Calla smiled and said, "I'll hang these up. Why don't you go make some soup?"The doula was a real professional, always going the extra mile for Zoey. As a result, Calla would help the doula with whatever she could during her free time. The doula handed the laundry to Calla, smiling. "Ms. Sherman, you're too kind.""It's not like I have anything better to do," Calla replied, heading to the balcony to hang the diapers.With the newborn in her recovery period, diapers needed frequent changing. It wasn't uncommon to go through a dozen or more each day. Soon, the balcony was fluttering with pink diapers.After
Realizing that Harlan didn't grasp the meaning behind her words, Calla smiled. "Yes, you've done well in those aspects," she said. "But Zoey needs more than these material things. She needs your care and affection."Harlan frowned slightly, and the atmosphere grew tense. Calla didn't beat around the bush. "I've been here for a few days, and I've noticed you haven't been as attentive to Zoey as a husband should. Maybe you should think about how you can show her more love and care during this time."Harlan lowered his head and stayed silent for a moment. After a few seconds, he suddenly looked up, gazing at Calla with peculiar intensity. "Calla, don't you know why Zoey and I got married? I don't love her. How do you expect me to be enthusiastic about all this? Are you asking me to lie to her and pretend to care when I don't?"Calla stared at him in shock, not expecting him to be so blunt. She felt somewhat perplexed, but more than that, she was worried about Zoey.Calla tried to
The revelation left Calla paralyzed with terror. She ran a hand through her hair while at a loss for words, terrified of what would happen if Zoey found out. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Don't say it again!" Calla removed Harlan's hands from her shoulders, her expression cold."Calla, I refuse to believe you've never had any feelings for me." Harlan still held onto her arm, refusing to let go."Stop asking such pointless questions. Zoey is right next door." Calla shook off his hand again."I—" Harlan was about to say something, when suddenly a soft voice was heard. "Harlan, Cal, you…"At the sound of Zoey's voice, Calla's head snapped up. She saw Zoey standing in the doorway in her pajamas, and panic surged through her.Harlan stood there in awkward silence. Calla quickly forced a smile and said to Zoey, "Oh, I came out to hang up some diapers. Harlan insisted on helping, but he's all thumbs and can't even do that right."Calla knew how flimsy her excuse sounded. She had n
"What on earth are you doing?" Calla stared at Zoey, baffled. Zoey sneered. "You're a real peach of a sister, coming into my home to flirt with my husband. I'm so lucky to have a sister like you.""What nonsense are you spouting?" Zoey's voice was quite loud at this point. It was embarrassing for Calla, considering the doula was still making soup in the kitchen."Nonsense? I heard the whole conversation. I wish I could believe it was all in my head, but what I saw and heard is undeniable." Zoey's beautiful eyes were filled with anger and resentment.Calla flinched at the words, taking a step back. Still, she was determined to give Zoey a proper explanation. "If you heard everything, then you should have heard what I told Harlan. I was only trying to remind him to treat you and the baby well. Am I wrong for doing this as your sister?"But Calla's words only made Zoey more agitated. She stepped forward, her gaze turning vicious. "Harlan and I were doing fine. You had to use the e
As Calla passed through the living room, she noticed Zoey sitting on the couch. Zoey was cradling her newborn daughter in her arms. She shot Calla a cold glance, then patted the baby gently. "Sweetheart, your meddlesome aunt is finally leaving our home. I hope she never comes back. Every time she shows up, our house is thrown into chaos. From now on, we're going to have such a great time as a family of three with Daddy."Hearing this, Calla frowned. She never imagined Zoey would turn into someone like this. With a heavy heart, Calla wiped away a tear, grabbed her suitcase, and stormed out the door.As Calla stepped into the elevator, she still couldn't fathom that Zoey had said and done those things. Calla tugged at her hair, the sting a harsh reminder of reality. Their relationship had frayed to this extent.It seemed she no longer had a sister.The elevator reached the ground floor, and the doors slid open.Calla saw Harlan waiting outside, holding a bag of pretzels. Calla's
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