After about half an hour, the door was pushed open gently.Calla was standing in front of the wall and admiring one of the paintings. She turned to see Mercer walking in, and she scrutinized his expression. Although he looked as cold and impassive as always, he did not betray any sign of having argued with Rose. "These paintings are pretty good." Calla smiled slightly to mask the awkwardness.Mercer's lips twitched, and he said, "These are genuine Karl John paintings."Calla stuck out her tongue, realizing that she had revealed her ignorance. She asked, "How famous is he?""Among his contemporaries, he's probably ranked between third to sixth. The ones ranked first and second are in my father's study and safe. Even I'm not allowed to look at them for no reason," he answered.These paintings probably cost millions or more. Those that were ranked first and second would probably be hundreds of millions. Calla had known that Mercer's family was rich, but she hadn't expected him to b
Mercer stared at Calla for a moment, then suddenly asked, "What did she accuse you of?""She accused me of being after your money, of course! Do you even have to ask?" Calla felt that Mercer had suddenly become less intelligent. "So you're saying that you're not interested in my money?" Mercer's lip curled upward."Of course not!" Calla raised her voice by several octaves.Mercer suddenly asked cheekily, "So you're just in it for me?" Calla hesitated for a moment. She randomly picked up the glass of juice next to her to disguise her sudden discomfort. She quickly exclaimed, "Please! Your money is more attractive than you are!"She had only married him so that her child would have legal recognition. Had he forgotten what he had said to persuade her? Still, why did Calla suddenly feel nervous? She suppressed the strange feeling and tried to keep herself calm. Mercer was startled. He suddenly said, "After we eat, we're going back to Riverford.""So quickly?" Calla was surprised
Calla finally realized how considerate Mercer was being.The resort was on the outskirts of Sedonia, and it would take them three hours on the highway before reaching Riverford.Mercer had seen how tired she was, which was why he had chosen to spend a night here. He hadn't asked her to stay at Garland Mansion because he didn't want her to feel awkward around his parents. He was being considerate of her in all aspects.Calla felt unusually happy as she lay on the huge, soft bed. She closed her eyes and continued sleeping contentedly.…When they returned to Riverford, Calla and Mercer's relationship became even more relaxed and natural. Calla would take care of his daily needs, and he would regularly take her for prenatal checkups. They would sit in front of the television, talking and laughing with each other, just like any other husband and wife. One afternoon, after Mercer had gone to work, Calla went to the mall and bought a whole bunch of things to bring home to Carol an
"Go back to your room and study! This has nothing to do with you." Carol immediately tried to stop Zoey from blabbering.Zoey shook her head in exasperation. She turned and went back inside, but immediately stuck her head out and called out to Calla. "Rudy told Mom to persuade you to talk to Mercer! He wants you to let that insurance company of his take care of Atlas' property insurance!" Zoey immediately shut the door so that Carol could not scold her.Calla was furious. She turned and glared at Carol.Carol immediately waved her hand and said, "He did make the request, but I didn't agree to it! I only agreed to talk to you about it. Don't worry, I won't make things difficult for Mercer."This made Calla even more angry, but she had to suppress her emotions. She said tiredly, "Mom, how many times do I need to tell you before you understand? Why do you let Rudy use you time and time again? "He no longer has any feelings for you at all! All his attention is on Jill and Peggy. If
In the blink of an eye, Calla was already three months pregnant, and her belly was starting to show. She was also experiencing symptoms of morning sickness, and she was eating voraciously. She got hungry very quickly, and as a result, her weight steadily increased. However, that only made her look even more attractive, as she was now getting curves.That night, Jasmine put down the phone and said to Calla, who was sitting on the couch and watching television. "Ms. Sherman, Mr. Garland says that he has an engagement tonight and won't be back for dinner."Calla frowned slightly.Mercer had been extremely busy for the past two weeks or so, and he had barely been back for dinner. It was usually already past midnight by the time he got back. Calla felt that something wasn't right, but she couldn't pinpoint what it was."Let's eat," she said after a moment's pause.After she had taken a few bites, Calla felt that she had no appetite.In the bedroom, she leaned against the headboard o
"I'm going on a business trip tomorrow," Mercer suddenly spoke up behind her.He knew that she wasn't asleep, so Calla decided not to keep up the act. She asked, "Where are you going?" "Morvenia," he replied.Calla was startled. Did Atlas have business in Morvenia too? She had worked at Atlas for several years, but she had never heard about such a thing. Was this a private business trip?Calla knew that he might not want to speak about it further, so she did not press him anymore. She only asked, "How long will you be gone?""About a week," he answered after a moment's thought."I'll pack for you," Calla said, getting up."It's alright!" He stopped her at once.Calla turned to look at Mercer in the dark, and her brow furrowed."I'll only need to take a few changes of clothes. Jasmine will pack for me tomorrow. It's late. You should get some rest," he said.It was already 1:00 am, and packing right now would affect both of their sleep. Calla decided not to persist.After tha
The sudden bombshell revelation stunned Calla for several seconds before she recovered. Her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. Mercer's ex-girlfriend? Why was she contacting Calla? What did she want?Calla had probably been silent for too long. Sophie spoke up again, "Are you listening?"Her voice dragged Calla back to reality, and she quickly said, "I'm sorry, Mercer has never mentioned you before. I think you should also know that Mercer and I are married. You should call me Mrs. Garland, not Ms. Sherman."The person on the other end did not argue with her. Instead, she said, "Mrs. Garland, I just want to have a chat with you. Do you perhaps have time this afternoon?"There was an imploring note in her voice, and she didn't sound like an angry, accusing mistress at all. She had a melodious voice, and Calla could not find it in her to reject the request.That said, Calla knew better than to be so trusting of her. No matter how gentle the other party was, she couldn't possibly ha
It seemed that Sophie had once been very important to Mercer. Did he perhaps still love her?Calla suddenly felt strangely fearful. Her chest felt stuffy and tight, and she was extremely upset. Why was she feeling this way? What was wrong with her?Before she could think about it any further, she changed into the clothes she had worn to visit Garland Mansion in Sedonia, and notified Jasmine before going out.When she arrived at the entrance to the café, she took a deep breath before walking in.There weren't many people here for coffee at this hour. The moment Calla looked up, she spotted a young woman at a seat by the windows. When she saw the woman's face, she suddenly felt nervous.Sophie was very beautiful, and seeing her would make anyone light up. She had a perfectly oval face, finely shaped brows, a straight nose, and a rosebud mouth. She was very fair and clearly a typical beauty. Calla stumbled and almost slipped. Luckily, the woman hadn't seen her yet and hadn't caug
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