Chapter 1

"Mom, I'm bringing Damian home to stay for a while. … Yeah, it'll just be us. Walter... won't be coming."

As soon as I hung up, Walter Scott returned. He looked exhausted with dark circles under his eyes.

Without a word, he went straight to the bathroom. The sound of running water filled the silence, and not long after, his phone started ringing nonstop.

I knew the password to his phone, so I unlocked it without asking.

Just like I thought, the messages were from Olivia Lowry. She'd sent a whole bunch of photos and videos of her son—reading, playing with blocks, and calling Walter "Daddy".

"Aaron really misses you, Walt. Are you coming over tonight? The boy loves you so much. He doesn't even care about me anymore."

My hands trembled as I held the phone. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm the anger inside me. Even now, I couldn't bring myself to act as indifferent as I wanted.

They were just too shameless.

As soon as I set the phone down, Walter came out. He was drying his wet hair with a towel.

"Where's Damian?" he asked.

Last night, our son, Damian Scott, had been burning up with a high fever, and it had been pouring outside. I had called Walter over and over, begging him to come home and take Damian to the hospital.

I had been frantic and completely lost. But what had he said to me?

"Bella, you're using Damian as a pawn to get my attention, huh? You're unbelievable. Do you think I'll fall for it again after all these dramas? Stop being so jealous and competitive. You'll never measure up to Olivia, and Damian will never measure up to Aaron."

It had felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on me, but somehow, I had managed to stay calm. I wiped away my tears, pulled myself together, and drove Damian to the hospital alone.

The heavy rain had made it hard to see, and the car had skidded out of control more than once. Gritting my teeth, I had pressed on, not even able to give Damian's crying a second thought.

Finally, we made it to the hospital. While I had been getting medication for Damian, I saw Walter rushing in, holding another woman's kid in his arms.

He had shouted for doctors and nurses while Olivia cried beside him, her eyes swollen and red. The little boy in Walter's arms had been wailing as if the world was ending.

After a thorough check-up, it had turned out that Aaron Liddell only had a tiny cut on his hand—a scratch that barely bled.

Still, Walter had spent the whole night freaking out over him.

I let out a bitter laugh and calmly said, "He's asleep."

Walter frowned, then let out a sigh of relief. He found another chance to tease me about my "jealous fits".

"Didn't you say Damian had a fever? Why aren't you flipping out about going to the hospital tonight? Look at you, Bella, getting jealous over every little thing. Good thing I didn't fall for your games."

I nodded as if I agreed. "Yeah, I get jealous over everything. But don't worry, I won't be jealous anymore. Does that make you happy?"

Walter's frown deepened, suspicion flashing in his eyes. After a moment, he scoffed. "You'd better mean it."

Just then, his phone rang. The caller ID read "Liv".

His expression softened as he stepped out onto the balcony, purposely closing the door behind him.

I watched him smile and lower his voice while talking to Olivia, and this empty feeling of helplessness washed over me.

I looked down and turned around, only to find Damian standing quietly behind me. I hadn't even realized he was there.

His cheeks were red, his hair all messy, and his eyes—tinged with sadness—were locked on the figure out on the balcony. Sensing my gaze, he turned to me and grinned.

"Can you tell me a story, Mommy?" he asked.

I smiled, nodding as I took his hand and led him to his room.

Damian didn't say a word about Walter. He lay quietly in bed, but his eyes were glued to the door. He probably didn't hear a thing of what I said.

Then, we heard a door slam, and all the hope vanished from Damian's eyes.