Calla knew she couldn't reason with Carol, so she turned and walked outside instead. Rudy still wore a smile as he said to Mercer, "Mercer, we should have a good chat next time.""Sure," Mercer nodded and turned to follow Calla.Calla and Carol both got into Mercer's Bentley. Simon was driving in the front, and Mercer sat in the passenger seat today. Calla and Carol sat side by side in the back.Carol glanced at the luxurious interior and smiled. She asked, "Mercer, this car is so luxurious. It must belong to your boss, right? Wouldn't it be inappropriate for us to ride your boss' car? We'd better take a cab back instead, so as to not affect your work."This puzzled Mercer. He looked at Calla in the rearview mirror. She was at a loss for words herself, not knowing how to explain things to Carol.Just then, Simon turned to Carol and said with a smile, "Madam, Mr. Garland is the boss. This car belongs to him. As such, you and Mrs. Garland can sit however you like."These words le
At once, Mercer and Carol tried to push the envelope into each other's hands. Upon seeing them, Calla decided to just take it and stuff it into Carol's hands while saying, "Mom, this is his gift to you. If you don't take it, it means you don't accept him as your son-in-law." When she heard Calla's explanation, Carol begrudgingly accepted it. She mumbled, "In that case, alright then." However, she belatedly realized that the envelope was extremely thick. She opened it to take a peak before asking incredulously, "This is 20 thousand, isn't it? No way, this is too much!" Calla had let her guard down. She hadn't expected Mercer to give Carol so much money. Still, she immediately wiped the shocked expression from her face and persuaded, "Mom, you've been kind enough by not asking him for a million dollars in exchange for my hand in marriage. Just take it!" Calla grimaced inwardly at the offer—20 thousand dollars for her dignity and the child in her belly. A cynical part of her c
Half an hour later, Calla walked out of the house with Mercer, carrying a simple bag. The second they stepped outside, Calla complained, "Hey, why didn't you ask me whether I was willing before you dragged me out of the house?" Mercer glanced at Calla's angry expression. He continued striding forward as he remarked, "You're my wife. Of course you should live with me." Observing his undeniable dominance and the lack of bargaining power she had, Calla decided to just follow him. Still, she couldn't help but warn, "I'm telling you in advance. I have many bad habits. Perhaps in time, you won't be able to stand me." Mercer was unfazed. "When I was studying, countless people ground their teeth, burped, and farted all day. I eventually got used to it. I don't think you'll be more unbearable than those boys, will you?" He suddenly turned to look at her. Calla hadn't expected him to turn around so suddenly. She didn't have time to react and stop in her tracks. Thus, she collided wit
Mercer suddenly said, "Since we're going to put on a show, we might as well go all out. Plus, you're a grown woman. You shouldn't worry your mom anymore." Calla couldn't help the bitter smile that appeared on her face. Although she was mocking herself internally, she maintained her composure and said to Mercer, "Thank you for being so considerate." In truth, all of the care and concern he exhibited were merely an act. Calla chastised herself for being so moved because of him. How could she have been so presumptuous and planned a life with him? "You're welcome. We're legally husband and wife now, so we should compromise with each other." Mercer spoke as though he was talking about one of his business projects. Calla raised her chin to make herself appear more confident. She responded, "You're right." They had already walked to the car where Simon had taken the luggage from Mercer. The two of them got into the car, and they drove off within seconds. As the car sped through t
After going upstairs with her luggage, Calla realized that there were two bedrooms on the upper floor. The first one was huge, with an en-suite bathroom and walk-in wardrobe. Without a doubt, it was the master bedroom. The other room was a little smaller. That said, it was kept clean and tidy. Calla was conflicted. When Mercer left, he hadn't told her which room she was supposed to live in. After a moment of thought, she walked into the smaller bedroom with her luggage. After all, she was pregnant. Not only was she easily awakened at night, but she would often throw up without warning. It would definitely affect his sleep. Plus, she couldn't fulfill his nightly needs anyway. There was no need for them to sleep in the same bed. After wandering about the residence for a few hours, Calla realized that it was fully equipped, though she didn't like the choice of interior and furniture. The bathroom was stocked with products she might need, and the fridge was filled to the brim w
Mercer looked up and protested, "It's not like they're dirty or anything." Calla glared at him fiercely and insisted, "Even so, this is a bad habit. You need to make a change!" Mercer furrowed his brows and asked, "Why should I listen to you? You dare talk to me like that?"Calla grabbed Mercer's plate. "That's because I'm the one who made dinner. If you don't want to, don't eat!" Mercer looked up and stared straight at Calla. In truth, Calla was quaking in her boots. However, she'd already grabbed the plate from him. She couldn't bow to his will at this point. Thus, she glared at him while steeling herself inwardly. It would've been too embarrassing otherwise! In the next moment, Mercer stood up quietly. Calla's heart skipped a beat as she took a hasty step backward. He was tall and well-toned. Suffice to say, she wasn't his equal when it came to combat skills—or physical build for that matter. Mercer flatly stated, "I'm a good man who won't argue with a woman. I'll go
Calla mumbled under her breath, "Don't injure your hand. You just can't do anything right." Then, she walked upstairs with a hand on her hip. Calla couldn't even begin to describe how pleased she felt while lying in bed. Even Mercer had moments that she could openly criticize him for. Just thinking about it resolved any anger she had felt.That said, he had fickle emotions and was rather arrogant—but was still a good person. She hadn't expected him to wash the dishes for her and allow her to scold him like that. This was the normal life of a married couple. Calla felt like she'd assimilated into the role of a wife.Before long, the door to her bedroom was pushed open.Calla looked up to see Mercer standing over her, his icy expression chilling her to the core."What does this mean?" He glared at Calla coldly. Calla was interrogated for a reason she could not comprehend. She asked, "What does what mean?" Mercer continued questioning, "Are we not husband and wife?" Calla
Mercer glanced at Calla coldly and said, "There's no need. I'm in a rush." When she saw that he was about to leave, nervousness took over her. She stepped forward to block him. "Even if you're in a rush, you need to eat. I've already prepared it." Mercer had just started, "I—" But Calla yanked Mercer's hand and pulled him toward the table. She took his briefcase from him and said, "Eat quickly. It won't take more than a few minutes of your time." He scanned the dishes on the table, including the breakfast burrito and smoothie bowl. Mercer pursed his lips. He couldn't withstand the hunger he was feeling, so he sat down and began eating breakfast. He couldn't complain. It didn't taste half bad. Rather than hurrying off, he sat at the dining table and had a large meal. Calla sat opposite him with her cheek propped on her hand. Mercer looked extremely elegant even when eating. He sat up straight and stared forward unblinkingly. He chewed quietly and said nothing like a dignif
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