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
Sophie did not have any of the aggression that third parties in a relationship usually had. Perhaps Calla was the one who had intruded and come between them.Even her voice was ever so gentle and beautiful. Calla couldn't help understanding why Mercer found it hard to forget her."Ms. Jonas, was it? If you have anything to say, go ahead. I've got things to do later." Calla did not want to make any small talk with her. She only wanted to know why Sophie had sought her out. Sophie looked down at the coffee cup in her hands, looking as if it was hard for her to begin.Calla frowned, and Sophie looked up at her with bright, shining eyes. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Garland. I know that I shouldn't have contacted you, but Mercer and I are truly in love. I can't live without him, and he can't live without me, either. Can you please give us your blessing?" Sophie looked imploringly at Calla.Calla suddenly felt as if Sophie was the victim, and she was the intruding third party.Although Calla
Calla felt a myriad of emotions rush through her. No wonder Mercer had said that he was going to Morvenia on a business trip. Atlas didn't have any business there at all; he had gone there for Sophie, the woman in front of Calla right now. Calla felt her gut twist. She had believed Mercer wholeheartedly."Since the two of you are so in love, why didn't you stay together?" Calla knew that it was dumb of her, but she still decided to ask. Sophie turned to look out of the huge glass windows, as if she was reminiscing about the past. "My family and Mercer's family were friends, and we grew up together. We were classmates in high school and at college, so naturally, we got together. Both of our families were very happy about it. After all, our standings are evenly matched."The thinly veiled jab about her family made Calla uncomfortable. She knew that she and Mercer were not of the same status at all, and they had never crossed paths before now. That said, Calla hadn't expected So
Once she walked out of the café, Calla felt tears roll down her cheeks, even though she had always been strong.This time, she looked up at the sky, but it was no use. Tears continued pouring uncontrollably down her cheeks.Sophie looked meek and soft on the outside, but she was actually very aggressive. Calla had been destined to lose from the start.She walked aimlessly under the scorching sun, and before long, she was drenched in sweat. However, she did not feel anything. The only thing that she felt was the dull pain in her chest.It was only at that moment that she realized she had fallen in love with Mercer long ago. Although she still didn't want to admit it, the pain in her heart made it impossible for her to lie to herself any longer.This time, she felt worse than she had a few months ago when Tim had cheated on her and run off with a wealthy heiress. She and Tim had been dating for years!This relationship with Mercer had been doomed from the start. She was just a to
Calla smiled bitterly. "Maybe I’m the third party between them."Always thinking of Calla's well-being, Alicia tried, "Hey, if he doesn't love you, there's no need for you to dwell on it. But if you’re going to divorce, make sure to fight for your legal rights and your child's."Get more money from him. Otherwise, your life will be hard to live with the child." Calla remained silent, only feeling heartbroken at the moment. Alicia stayed with her until nightfall. By the time Calla returned to Emerald Bay, the lights were already lit.Seeing Calla return, Jasmine hurried over. "Mrs. Garland, you’re back. Where have you been all day? I called you so many times, but you never answered. I was worried sick!""Oh, I went out shopping with a friend. My phone ran out of battery." Calla brushed it off."By the way, Mr. Garland called from overseas this afternoon," Jasmine mentioned.As Calla started to climb the stairs, she paused mid-way but didn’t turn around. She asked, "What did he s
At that moment, the phone on the desk suddenly chimed. Calla turned, reached for her phone, and saw that it was a WhatsApp message from Mercer. His profile picture was of a landscape painting. Yet, it still made Calla's heart skip a beat."Where did you go today? I called Jasmine, and she said you weren't home. I've been very busy these past few days, so I haven't been in touch. Are you okay?"Reading his text, Calla's lips twitched slightly before she replied, "I met Alicia this afternoon. I'm fine. Don't worry."She was going to put down the phone and ignore him, but seconds later, it buzzed again. Calla picked it up again to see another message from Mercer. "Don't overwork yourself. Take care of your health. I have something to tell you when I get back."Calla paused for a moment, stunned by the last sentence. Something to tell her? What could it be? Was he going to tell her that he and Sophie had rekindled their old flames? Did he want a divorce? Was he offering her a
Hearing that, Calla felt a little troubled and said, "Harlan and I haven't been in contact for a long time."Previously, Mercer had grabbed her phone and told Harlan that she had married. He then deleted Harlan's number from her phone. After that, she hadn't seen Harlan again, and he hadn't reached out to her either. Calla still felt a little guilty for not explaining the situation to him. She considered them ordinary friends, so an explanation seemed unnecessary. She kept putting it off until now.Now that Zoey wanted to apply for Harlan’s program, it seemed even more inappropriate to suddenly contact him. Calla was put in a difficult position.Seeing Calla's hesitation, Zoey immediately said, "Cal, this concerns my future! Please swallow your pride and ask him for me!"Calla knew they had to handle the college application correctly. Otherwise, all their efforts would be wasted. It could affect Zoey's entire future. Despite feeling awkward about asking Harlan for a favor, she
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