Calla felt a tight grip around her waist as she was pulled into a warm embrace. Fortunately, she didn't fall in a clumsy, embarrassing way.She had such a tiny waist that Pierre's quick reaction pulled her right into his arms.At this moment, he realized with a start that his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst out of his chest. Pierre recalled the last time he felt this way was when he was a young, inexperienced lover. That first, innocent romance was something he'd never been able to recapture. No matter how many women he'd been with, it remained elusive.Calla hadn't fallen, but she was properly startled. She'd taken a bad fall earlier today and was still shaken. The fear of another fall had her heart racing. Unlike Pierre, her heart was pounding out of fear.Though Pierre could see that Calla had regained her balance, he was reluctant to let go of her waist.With a small smile, Calla said, "Thanks." She then gestured with her arm, as if to create some dist
Things were not going as Calla had expected. Pierre had been avoiding her altogether for several days. His absence only made her feel more uncomfortable.After dinner one evening, Calla was packing some orders on the living room floor. Meanwhile, Fiona was busy clearing the table.As she wiped the table, Fiona asked, "Ms. Sherman, do you think I did something to offend Mr. Garland? Why hasn't he come over for dinner today even though he's back home? Maybe he dislikes my cooking now."Hearing this, Calla looked up and asked, "Pierre went straight home after work tonight?""Yes, I saw him when I went out to take the trash. I even asked him if he wanted to come over for dinner, but he said no," Fiona replied.Calla then realized he was avoiding her on purpose. "Maybe he has a date later."Fiona suddenly said, "Oh, I remember now. Mr. Garland seems to have a bad cold. He was sneezing a lot just earlier, and he didn't look well.""What? Is he sick?" Calla frowned at this."Yes, that
Startled by Pierre's sudden embrace, Calla's hand shook, spilling the rest of the water from her cup.She could feel him trembling. Knowing he had a high fever, Calla helped him lie down and covered him with a blanket."Don't go! Don't leave..." In his sleep, Pierre had a tight grip on Calla's wrist.Calla frowned as she attempted to free her hand from his grasp but to no avail. Seeing him babbling incoherently from the fever, she felt sorry for him. She sat by the bed, eventually letting him hold her wrist.After sitting like that for more than half an hour, Pierre suddenly started shivering under the blanket and muttered, "I'm so cold... it's so cold!"Seeing this, Calla felt his forehead and noticed he wasn't sweating. She was starting to get anxious. A high fever without sweating was very hard to bring down.Looking around, Calla forcefully freed her hand and went to the next room to grab another blanket. She covered Pierre with it, hoping to induce sweating.Yet, Pierre kep
This time, Pierre didn't grab Calla's wrist to prevent her from leaving as he had before. The next moment, Calla slipped on her shoes and fled.It wasn't until he heard the soft sound of the door closing that Pierre opened his drowsy eyes. Calla had left only a dim wall lamp on for him.He rested his head on his arms, gazing at the ceiling, and a satisfied smile spread across his face.Earlier that afternoon, he had been cursing this sudden cold. When he got home from work last night, his body was so sore that he couldn't even get out of bed. But now, he believed that this cold was a blessing in disguise—especially the high fever. It had brought him unexpected gains.Pierre buried his face in the blanket, inhaling deeply. There was a scent left by Calla, a pleasant smell that left him savoring. Calla returned to the unit across from Pierre's. After checking on Clover, who was sound asleep, she turned and went into the bathroom to shower.The hot water rained down on her, was
Calla turned her head back, staring at the elevator's indicator, silently willing it to hurry up. It seemed like the elevator was taking forever to arrive, stopping at every floor. She pressed the button several times more, but it made no difference.The next moment, Pierre emerged from his apartment wearing a suit and carrying a briefcase.Calla felt a little awkward facing Pierre, but she tried to maintain her composure as he joined her before the elevator. "Aren't you going to rest at home before heading to work?"Pierre's face showed no signs of anything unusual. Calla began to doubt whether she had been reading too much into it.Pierre smiled and said, "There's a pile of work waiting for me at the firm. I can't afford to rest."He glanced at his wristwatch and frowned. "You're going to be late today.""Yes." Calla anxiously watched the elevator, growing more frustrated by the second."I can drive you there. We'll make it in time," Pierre offered."No need. We're not going
Under Pierre's ardent insistence, Calla couldn't refuse and had to get into his car.During the ride, Calla stared out of the car window. She was sure Pierre kept stealing glances at her, a subtle smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.That faint smile made Calla feel uneasy. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. His presence, once so comforting, now left her feeling unsettled and adrift."I apologize for troubling you last night. You were up all night taking care of me, missed your breakfast, and might even be late for work." Pierre finally spoke.Glad that Pierre had broken the long silence, Calla hastened to say, "It's not like you planned to be sick. And since you're driving me to work, I should be on time."She glanced at her phone; there was definitely still time before she'd be late. But his mention of taking care of him all night made her blush. In truth, it was more like they hugged each other all night.
Calla lowered her head and thought for a few seconds. Then, she looked up, her eyes meeting Pierre's with firm resolve. "Pierre, you're Clover's godfather. You're playing the role of a father now. "I've moved on and am no longer interested in pursuing a relationship, at least not right now. Given your exceptional qualities and character, you deserve someone better. I'm not the right person for you, being a divorced woman with a child."After getting to know him, Pierre was indeed the kind of man a woman could entrust her life to. Calla was touched by his deep affection for her. But in the end, he wasn't the man who could make her heart flutter.Pierre was too perfect—his looks, character, abilities, and even his family background were impeccable. She couldn't be selfish as to burden him with responsibilities that he shouldn't have to bear.At this moment, Calla felt a twinge of regret. She regretted embracing him last night to help him sweat out the fever. Perhaps she had given hi
After speaking, Calla resolutely got out of the car and quickly strode toward the tall building ahead. Pierre watched her departing figure as she disappeared into the building. Then, he slammed his fist hard against the steering wheel, causing the horn to emit a sharp sound. The car quickly sped into the lane, disappearing like a flash of lightning.That day, Calla was late regardless. She sat at her desk, distracted and absent-minded, her thoughts unsettled by Pierre's actions. Emotionally, Calla knew that she only felt gratitude and admiration for Pierre. It was not the kind of romantic feelings that made one's heart race. However, what concerned her most were the issues Pierre mentioned that Clover would face in the future.After thinking it over, Calla knew that it was pointless for her to feel troubled. She couldn't accept Pierre's proposal, as she didn't want to repay kindness with emotion. Instead, she decided to focus on doing her best to support Clover and create a bet
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