When Liam and I broke up, it was incredibly ugly. He pinched my fake pregnancy report and pressed his cigarette butt against my chest. "Lying to me... how dare you?" Because of that sentence, I lost my decent job and was disfigured. Everyone said I had been his kept canary for five years, and ending up like this was exactly what I deserved. The day I left the city, he got engaged to a wealthy heiress who matched his social standing. I clutched my pregnant belly and scurried out of his world completely, like a rat in a gutter. The next time we met was four years later. He pointed at the little toddler in my arms, his eyes certain. "This is my child, isn't it?" 1 The next time I saw Liam was late at night in the hospital. I was holding my daughter, Mia, in my arms. She was already used to IV drips and injections, remaining perfectly quiet the whole time. When she saw Liam, she was also quiet, just tugging in confusion at me as I dozed. I opened my eyes and abruptly met the man's cold, alluring gaze. Past events came flooding back, and my heart skipped a beat. I stood up stiffly, ready to run, only realizing belatedly that my daughter was still on an IV. As soon as my hand touched the IV bottle, it was forcefully pinned down by Liam. "Long time no see, Chloe." "This is your daughter?" Just a few light words, yet my calves began to tremble uncontrollably. My daughter tilted her head and asked who he was. He hooked a cold smile, emphasizing each word. "An old acquaintance of your mother's." More than just an old acquaintance. Five years of time, one hundred and eighty days and nights of desperate entanglement. Unfortunately, these numbers, heavy to me, were nothing but garbage to be casually tossed aside by the aloof Liam. I buried my head, my face turning pale. In the silence, Liam's friend walked over. At first, he didn't see clearly, pointing at my daughter and joking. "Liam, what luck. You go on a business trip, get a stomach bug, and your wife and daughter travel all this way to comfort you!" Not long after I left the city back then, I saw the news of Serena's pregnancy online. I didn't expect she also had a daughter. Taking two steps closer, the man saw my face clearly and cursed under his breath. "Holy shit, you're Chloe, right? You're still alive?" The surprised, sarcastic words stabbed a knife into my finally healed heart. I subconsciously covered my daughter's ears to prevent her from hearing anything uglier. "Back then, you got a fake pregnancy certificate and angered Grandpa to death. How do you still have the nerve to appear in front of Liam?" "Are you out of money? Make sense. A woman like you who earns money lying down can only rely on men when you want money, right?" "This scrawny little girl is your daughter? You're not trying to say this is Liam's daughter, are you?!" I, already numb, looked up in astonishment upon hearing the last sentence. "No, she has nothing to do with Mr. Vance!" The distant address made the two men pause. A moment later, Liam pushed his friend aside and approached me, his aura as oppressive as ever. "How old is the child?" "Three!" I blurted it out almost instantly. He took another step closer. "Give me your ID, let me see." I took a step back, forcing a slight smile. "I left my ID at home, forgot it." Just as he was about to speak, I interrupted. "It's getting late. Mr. Vance should go home early, lest Mrs. Vance worries." Mentioning Serena made him unusually thoughtful. A bitter smile slid across my heart. Four years ago, humbled to the dirt, I questioned Liam why he didn't believe me, why he had to marry Serena. He grabbed my neck, his eyes disgusted and cold. "She's not like you. She's clean and doesn't lie." "And, I love her." I had been with him for five years, and he had never said the word 'love' to me. So much so that I thought someone as noble as Liam couldn't possibly love anyone. Until he said he loved Serena and wanted to give her a home. I always thought that love wouldn't last long, but looking at it now, I was too naive. Taking advantage of his distraction, I decisively took down the IV bottle, picked up my daughter, and ran without looking back. The man behind me vaguely said something. I didn't hear it clearly, and I didn't care. 2 It wasn't until I ran out of the hospital that I stopped, my heart pounding wildly. My daughter touched my desolate face, asking in confusion. "Mommy, why did you lie to that uncle?" I kissed her round, tender little face. "Mommy did it to protect you." To stop you from being taken away. But the current Liam has a wife and daughter; how could he possibly come to snatch my daughter? Despite this, I still took Mia to a small clinic to see a doctor. By the time we got home, it was already 2 AM. I couldn't sleep, so I clicked on Serena's social media updates. She flaunted her wealthy life every day, as well as her precious daughter. The comment section was full of praise for her gentleness and beauty. It's hard to imagine that it was such a woman who personally slashed my face with a knife. Even now, no matter how hot the weather is, I don't dare lift my heavy bangs to reveal the ugly scar on my forehead. I only asked for a half-day off for Mia. In the afternoon, I rode my electric scooter to take her to kindergarten. On the way home, a luxury car swaggered into my path, blocking my way. The window rolled down, and a beautiful woman poked her head out. "Chloe!" I froze in place, meeting Evelyn's gaze. She looked younger than she did back then. If we walked together, people would probably mistake us for sisters. I abandoned the electric scooter and walked away quickly. she opened the car door and chased after me relentlessly in her sheepskin high heels. "Chloe! Won't you look back at your mother?" Perhaps running too fast, her voice carried a hint of a sob. I didn't understand why she was chasing me. Back then, she personally abandoned me for wealth and glory. It was also her who said in front of everyone that I was not her daughter. It was even her who, to get the approval of her stepdaughter Serena, personally forged my pregnancy. At that time, her bright red nails poked red marks one after another on my face. "You being able to live till now is all thanks to my blessing. What right do you have to accuse me? If I knew you would block my path to wealth when you grew up, I would have strangled you at birth!" As I was reminiscing, the driver slammed on the brakes at Evelyn's signal, blocking my path. I was startled and fell to the ground. Evelyn reached out to help me. "Chloe, Mom just wanted to come and see you." I abruptly shook off her hand, revealing a mocking smile. "See me for what? To see if I'm dead? Or to see if I'm still trying to steal Serena's man?" "Rest assured, Mrs. Vance. I've learned my lesson. I won't disturb the married life of Liam and Serena. I'll stay far away from them, and your wealthy life!" Evelyn seemed hurt by my words, her eyes slightly red. "Chloe, Mom didn't mean that." Her gaze fell on my custom-made phone case, a photo of my daughter and me. She abruptly changed the subject. "That child back then..." Hearing this, my confidence vanished without a trace, and I said in a panic. "What child? Wasn't that child personally killed by you?" I desperately hid the phone case behind my back. The cold temperature of the ground reminded me again of four years ago, the operating table in the private clinic. Evelyn's vicious gaze fell on my stomach. "This child must be removed! Don't think I don't know what you're planning. I will absolutely not allow you to give birth to this bastard and threaten Serena's marriage!" To teach me a lesson, she didn't let anyone give me anesthesia. The operating room was filled with my heart-wrenching cries. In the end, it was the operating doctor who couldn't bear it and helped me escape. Now, Mia is my everything. I don't want to experience the pain of almost losing her again, so I desperately tried to prove it. "That child is really dead! If you don't believe me, ask the doctor. You saw that lump of bloody flesh with your own eyes, didn't you?" "I really don't love Liam anymore, and I won't go back to seduce him!" To make her believe me, I lifted the hem of my shirt, recklessly revealing the four-inch incision on my stomach, my tone urgent. "Look, the incision is still there. The child died long ago. If you don't believe it, you can touch it, it's real!" I grabbed her hand to touch the incision. The next second, she suddenly hugged me. "Chloe, don't be like this..." I was stunned for a moment, then struggled wildly, and she fell to the ground. I ran around the car, fleeing frantically. After running just a few steps, I fell hard onto the ground. Ignoring the burning pain on my knees, I got up and continued running. Back home, I decisively packed my important documents and money. Meeting Liam last night, meeting Evelyn today. All this could absolutely not be a coincidence! I submitted my resignation to the company I had worked at for two years and called the landlord to end the lease. After buying a bus ticket, it was almost time for school to let out. I rode my electric scooter to pick up Mia and handle her withdrawal from school at the same time. Thinking that I would take her away from here and never come back. However, when I arrived at the school gate, Mia's teacher looked surprised. "Wasn't Mia picked up by her dad? Sorry, Mia's mom, I thought the child looked quite like that man..." 3 After four years, I pulled Liam out of the blacklist. As soon as the call connected, the man chuckled. "I thought you'd really bear to never contact me again for the rest of your life." I stood in the cold wind, gripping my phone tightly. "Where is the child?" As my voice fell, my daughter's innocent laughter came through. Liam's voice was like a snake's tongue. "Chloe, is the child mine or not?" I still didn't have any hesitation. "No. Liam, give the child back to me." He scoffed. "It doesn't matter if you don't admit it, I can do a paternity test. You still remember the consequences of lying to me." The cigarette burn he left on my chest back then hasn't faded to this day. Whenever my chest feels uncomfortable, it's as if that cigarette burn is acting up, mocking me for loving a man I shouldn't have. Thinking of this, I squatted on the ground uncomfortably, holding my swollen eye sockets. Liam decisively hung up the phone. I rested for a moment, got up, and rushed to the city. After four years, I set foot in the Vance mansion again, memories churning in my mind. I remembered when I first moved in, shaking Liam's hand and asking him what if someone kicked me out of here? His smile was shallow, unquestionable. "You are my woman, who dares to touch you?" Later, it was also him who ordered people to strip all the clothes he bought off my body and threw me out of the mansion. It was snowing heavily. I walked in the snow, turning purple all over, tears freezing on my face. He stood on the second floor, looking down at me as I took each difficult step out of the mansion gates. To this day, photos of me completely naked are still circulating on the internet. The comments below either scolded me for bringing it upon myself or assumed I was dead, gone down to apologize to Grandpa Vance. I buried my head and walked on the path of the mansion, past humiliation welling up in my heart. I didn't notice that the roses I used to love were still blooming furiously in the yard. Liam had already been waiting in the living room. He was wearing a black suit, like a wolf that had been scheming for a long time. I stood far away, restraining my anger. "Where is the child?" "Tired from playing, sleeping upstairs." Hearing this, I ran upstairs without stopping. The man was quick with his hands and eyes, grabbed my hand, and pulled me into his arms. The familiar woody fragrance hit me, giving me the creeps. "What's the rush? We haven't settled the accounts between us yet." I thought he was referring to the time I supposedly framed Serena for stealing my design drafts. Clearly, she stole my design drafts. But no one believed me. In the end, I was fired from the company, and all my works faced verbal abuse and boycotts. However, life over the past few years has already worn away my arrogance. I pushed Liam away and fell to my knees with a 'thud'. "Mr. Vance, I know I was wrong about what happened back then, and I've paid the price. If you still think it's not enough, I can kneel down and apologize to Mrs. Vance, as long as you return the child to me." My humility did not win the man's pity. He furrowed his brows tightly, his tone cold. "Get up." I didn't move, and spoke sincerely again. "Mr. Vance, you can humiliate me however you want, as long as you return my child to me." Liam was so angry he laughed. He squatted down to meet my eyes. "Your child, your child with whom?" I froze for a moment, then answered decisively. "With my ex-husband." Afraid he wouldn't believe me, I took out my marriage certificate to show him. "Liam, I didn't lie to you. I really got married. The child is mine and my ex-husband's!" I was indeed married, but it was just so Mia could be registered and just in case. However, the man merely glanced at the red-background photo, snatched it away, tore it to pieces, and pulled me up. "Chloe, how much this child looks like me, can't you see clearly?" I didn't dare look at him, struggling to go upstairs to find my daughter. He scooped me up around the waist, threw me onto the sofa, pinned my hands behind my back, his gaze sinister. "I'll ask you one last time, whose child is it?" My eyes widened, and I found myself somewhat breathless. In a daze, I remembered the shot he fired at me after Grandpa Vance died. That kind of chilling terror struck again, and I could no longer control my tears. "Liam, I beg you to let me go! I really can't die, Mia is still so small! She can't be without me!" "She really isn't your daughter! If it makes you happy, you can do whatever you want to me, just leave me my life, just don't take Mia away!!" He wiped away the tears at the corner of my eyes, lowered his brows, and said. "When did I say I was going to take your daughter away?" I froze, Serena's social media update suddenly flashing in my mind. Her daughter has congenital heart disease, just like her...
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