The black car appeared out of nowhere so suddenly that Calla's heart was racing like crazy.When she saw that the black car was a Bentley, her legs went weak. Mercer's car was also a Bentley, identical to this one. Although she couldn't see the license plate, she had a strong feeling that this was Mercer's car.This area was nothing if not remote and desolate. Forget Bentleys, even regular cars were rarely seen here. He must have found her.The next moment, the rear door opened, and a tall man in a long black coat stepped out. He was like a glacier amid a summer meadow, his coldness seeping into the air as he strode forward.Seeing Mercer, Calla's mind went blank, and she could almost hear the sound of her racing heartbeats. His gaze was unusually complex, and he looked haggard with stubble on his jaw.Calla had no time to think. She instinctively turned to run away. She was about to give birth and couldn't let herself fall into his hands. She didn't know exactly what he wanted,
Calla's resistance melted away when she heard Mercer's warning. After all, she was now over eight months pregnant, and she couldn't risk any harm coming to her baby.Seeing that Calla had stopped moving, Mercer instructed Simon in front, "Drive!"At Mercer's command, Simon started the engine, and the car turned around. They headed back in the direction they had originally come from.The journey was smooth and quick. Calla looked out the window and knew they were heading back to Riverford.Then, she withdrew her gaze, thinking to herself, "What kind of game is Mercer playing? What does he want?"With Mercer's influence, he could have found her long ago if he wanted to. It wouldn't have taken him this long.So, during these past few months, did he avoid coming to find her? But why was he here now? And why did he abduct her? What did he want to do? Calla simply couldn't figure it out.Ultimately, Calla concluded that he must be after her baby, so she questioned him, "Mercer, look m
Mercer turned to face Calla, a look of resignation and complicated emotions in his eyes. Noticing her anxiety, he forced a faint smile. "I want you to deliver the child right now."Calla was shocked by his words."What did you just say? You want me to have the baby now? How is that possible? I'm only 33 weeks along. The baby would be premature and might not survive!" Calla couldn't help but shout at Mercer.Mercer's expression turned cold when Calla protested. He turned away, staring at the hospital ahead. "You're having this baby today, no matter what!"Realizing his determination, Calla knew he wasn't joking. She also knew that resisting him might be useless. As she touched her belly, her heart pounded at an alarming rate.No! She couldn't have the baby today. She thought of her first child and was determined not to let history repeat itself with another premature birth.In the blink of an eye, Calla dropped to her knees with a heavy thud on the car floor.Calla's action cause
Calla's legs trembled as she looked at Mercer's extended hand. She shook her head frantically. "No… No... I don't want to!"Mercer's forehead was creased in a frown, his dark eyes gazing at Calla with a touch of sadness.His tone mellowed as he said, "You're already over eight months pregnant. A C-section now wouldn't harm the baby. I've arranged for the best obstetrician and pediatrician in the city. They can guarantee that both you and the child will be fine!""No, I don't want to deliver the baby now. I want to wait until she's full-term." Calla shook her head with all her might, her face streaked with tears.Seeing that Calla wouldn't budge, Mercer withdrew his hand. He then gave a subtle signal to Simon, who was standing behind Calla.Simon understood and stepped forward, covering Calla's mouth with a cloth.The next moment, Calla felt her body go limp. She managed one last glare at Mercer before succumbing to sleep.Simon caught her just in time, and Mercer quickly bent do
After what felt like an eternity, the door to the operating room finally opened. A doctor in a white coat hurried out."Doctor, how are they?" Mercer quickly stepped forward to ask.A warm smile spread across the doctor's face as he removed his mask."The mother just gave birth to a baby girl. Her vital signs are relatively good, but since she was born a month premature, we've placed her in an incubator."Hearing this, Mercer let out a sigh of relief. But as if remembering something, he anxiously asked, "How about the mother?"At this, the doctor's expression grew serious. "The mother lost a significant amount of blood. She's receiving a transfusion and needs to be hospitalized for observation."Mercer's face grew tense, and he urged, "Doctor, please do everything you can to save her!""Mr. Garland, rest assured. It is our duty as doctors to do everything we can to save our patients," the doctor replied.The next moment, Mercer asked, "Doctor, can my daughter's umbilical cord b
Calla hesitated, almost afraid to take the phone from Pierre. She was terrified that history would repeat itself, and she'd lose this child too."Your daughter is very beautiful and cute," Pierre said to Calla with a smile.Hearing this, Calla quickly grabbed the phone. Indeed, on the screen was a picture of a tiny baby wrapped in a pink blanket.She lay with her eyes closed, her two small hands raised to either side of her head, sleeping peacefully. Despite her clumsiness, she looked tiny and frail, so vulnerable that it was impossible not to feel sorry for her."Why is she so tiny?" Calla couldn't take her eyes off the screen."Because she was born prematurely, she's smaller than most babies. But I've asked the doctor, and it's nothing to worry about. It won't affect her growth later on. In a few months, she'll be as plump and healthy as any other child," Pierre reassured Calla.Calla reached out to touch her daughter's little face on the screen. Knowing that she was safe and h
After what Calla said, Pierre was shocked into silence. Then, he stood up and slammed his fist on the table."Is Mercer even human? How could he do something like this? This is his flesh and blood. I'm going to have a word with him and get him to come clean. I'll make sure he gives you a satisfactory explanation!" With that, Pierre turned and started to leave."Pierre!" When Calla saw that Pierre was leaving to confront Mercer, she panicked. She tried to grab Pierre's hand but he was walking too fast and had already reached the door.Calla knew that Mercer had lost his mind and reasoning with him would be futile. She feared she would implicate Pierre if Mercer were to take his anger out on him. After all, she'd troubled Pierre enough and didn't want to cause him more problems.So in her desperation, Calla tried to get out of bed in a hurry. However, she had forgotten about the wound on her stomach. Before her feet could touch the ground, she rolled off the hospital bed in pain.Pi
At that moment, the door to the ward was gently pushed open.Mercer looked up to see Simon poking his head in.Then, Mercer glanced at Casper on the hospital bed before quickly leaving the room.Gently closing the door behind him, Mercer turned to Simon and softly asked, "Are the results out?"Simon nodded, his face showing joy. "Yes, they got it. Casper and the newborn's umbilical cord blood are a match. The doctor said that as long as Casper's vital signs remain normal, they can schedule the surgery soon.""That's great!" Mercer was overwhelmed with joy that he punched the wall in elation.Simon beamed just as brightly. Then, with concern, he said to Mercer, "Mr. Garland, you haven't slept for two nights. Now that we finally have good news, you should go and get some rest. After all, your health is important; Casper is counting on you.""I know. I'll leave things here to you and rest for a while. Oh, and please talk to the doctor. I want to schedule the surgery for Casper as 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