Chapter 1 - The Question That Froze Time
Noah looked up at Marcus with wide, innocent eyes.
"Are you the bad man who made my Mommy cry?" Noah asked into the absolute silence.
Marcus stared at the eight-year-old boy, completely unable to form a single word.
The dropped velvet ring box sat ignored on the expensive Persian rug.
Ashley, the beautiful blonde girlfriend, stepped away from Marcus as if he had suddenly caught fire.
"Marcus, please tell me this is a sick joke," Ashley demanded, her voice shaking violently.
Marcus could not tear his gaze away from the four miniature versions of himself standing in the foyer.
He looked at Noah, then Ethan, then Sophia, and finally Olivia.
"Kesha," Marcus finally choked out, his face completely pale.
"I didn't know there were four of them," he whispered in shock.
I smiled, though there was absolutely no warmth in my expression.
"You didn't know there was even one, because you changed your number and ran," I reminded him coldly.
Patricia, his wealthy mother, suddenly pushed her way through the crowd of stunned relatives.
She glared at me with the same terrifying arrogance she had worn eight years ago.
"How dare you bring these illegitimate children into my home on Christmas?" Patricia hissed.
I rested my hands gently on Ethan and Sophia's shoulders.
"I didn't crash your party, Patricia, your son explicitly invited me," I replied smoothly.
"He wanted to humiliate me in front of his new girlfriend."
Ashley looked at Marcus with pure disgust twisting her beautiful features.
"You told me your ex-wife was a crazy stalker who refused to move on," Ashley yelled at him.
Marcus reached out to grab Ashley's arm, but she slapped his hand away instantly.
Patricia stepped directly between her son and my children.
"I paid you five million dollars to get an abortion and disappear forever!" Patricia screamed at me.
The entire living room gasped in absolute horror at her vicious confession.
But the biggest shock did not come from Patricia's horrific words.
It came from Marcus, who suddenly looked at his mother with utter confusion and rage.
"You gave her five million dollars?" Marcus demanded, his voice breaking.
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Patricia froze, realizing she had just exposed her own terrible secret.
"She never gave me a single dime, Marcus," I said, dropping the ultimate bombshell.
