My best friend and I just got hit with the ultimate plot twist. We're both pregnant. Unexpectedly. She’s carrying the child of an A-list movie star ex, and I have the baby of a terrifyingly powerful billionaire tycoon. Given that neither of these men seems to have "fatherhood" on their bingo card, my bestie suggested the impossible: "What if we just dump the dads and keep the kids?" I didn't hesitate. "I'm in! Where you go, I go!" So, we grabbed our positive tests and fled the country, kicking off our happily ever after in paradise. Until two years later. Her baby went viral on TikTok because he looks exactly like the movie star father. And the camera caught me and my daughter in the shot. That very night, my bar was surrounded by a fleet of black SUVs. Before I could dial 911, my hands were pinned behind my back with a leather belt. He grabbed my waist, his voice raw with terrifying fury: "Go on. Call them. But guess how many times I’ll ruin you before the cops even show up?" 1 Heartbroken and single, my best friend Avery dragged me to a high-end bar to forget. She was just about to run her hand over a male model's abs. When Oscar-winning actor Ethan Cole slammed through the bar doors. Ethan didn't bother with a disguise. He stalked over, furious, pointing at the model who looked remarkably like him. "Who is he? Avery, are you using him as a substitute for me?" Avery looked up, a cold smirk playing on her lips as she stood up. "What? You used me as a substitute for Chloe St. James. Why can't I find someone to replace you?" "Besides, your family’s heirloom diamond necklace is already on someone else's neck." Ethan choked on his own words. His voice went pale as he tried to explain, "I told you, I didn't give her that necklace." Avery: "Fine. Go get it back." Silence fell between them like a roaring river, making the bar’s noise seem even louder. Ethan stood frozen for a long moment before finally sighing out, "I’m sorry. I can’t." Even though she expected that answer, the expression on Avery’s face shattered. Her eyes were red. She grabbed her purse, gave me a look that said call me, and strutted out of the bar on her high heels. Ethan nodded to me, then chased after her. Thinking about the last few times Ethan had easily coaxed her back. I panicked and yelled, "Ava! Don't you dare soften! This is a matter of principle!" "Break up! You absolutely have to break up this time!" My throat was raw from shouting. Suddenly, a hand with long, elegant fingers handed me a slice of watermelon. I looked at the hand, my heart fluttering a bit. Damn, I thought, this male model really knows how to treat a girl! I turned around, smiling: "Hey sweetie, what's your name?" The second the words left my mouth, I froze solid. The male models in the booth were gone. Only Dominic Sterling was standing behind me. Chiseled features, a sharp jawline, and eyes looking at me like they were filled with ice. Terrified, I took a step back, but he grabbed my wrist. Dominic Sterling looked at me, a dangerous half-smile on his face: "You like 'sweeties'?" "Fine. Let's go home! I’ve got something sweet for you to see all night long!" 2 That night, Dominic Sterling had me pinned against the floor-to-ceiling window until dawn. The view overlooked the entire city skyline from a penthouse in one of the most expensive zip codes in the country. If it weren't for Dominic, I wouldn't even have the right to be in this neighborhood. But of course, I wasn't Dominic Sterling's girlfriend. At best, I was his high-end kept woman. During my first year trying to make it as an actress, I met a director who tried to impose the "casting couch" rules on me. Even though I rejected him at the dinner table multiple times, he kept pushing. Just as his hand was about to slide under my dress, Dominic appeared. He defused the situation with a single, careless sentence. He was the powerful, untouchable billionaire mogul, and I was just a fresh-faced, struggling nobody. Dominic's pursuit wasn't obvious. No massive, public displays of affection or gifts. But he took care of me everywhere, plus he had that face that could put any Hollywood leading man to shame. Over time, it was a lie to say I wasn't smitten. But I knew my place. A kept woman is a kept woman. There’s a world of difference between that and a real girlfriend. I understood completely: we were never destined for a happy ending. I was always going to leave. "You're still distracted?" Probably to punish me for not focusing, Dominic’s movements behind me grew harder: "What are you thinking about? Thinking about your 'sweetie'?" I gasped out loud, my fingernails digging into his arm. I bit my lip and shook my head. But my response clearly didn't satisfy him. He flipped me over: "Don't worry. I'll give you something to think about." A long time later, after the storm calmed down, Dominic carried me to the bathtub and held me in his arms. While I was recovering, I suddenly asked, "I heard your older sister, Eleanor, is back?" "Yeah." Dominic had always been close to Eleanor. She practically ran the entire Sterling family’s affairs. Most importantly, I heard Eleanor brought a woman back with her this time. A woman who was supposed to be Dominic’s arranged fiancée. Thinking about this, I cautiously asked, "Can I meet her?" Dominic’s eyes snapped open. He scrutinized me for a moment before coldly saying, "No need." Of course. A kept woman wasn't worthy of meeting the family. I hid the disappointment in my heart and smiled at him: "Okay." That night, Avery, who said she would call me, never did. It wasn't until noon the next day that she finally sent a message. [Relax, we didn't get back together.] 3 I thought my life would just go on like that. Until a month later, when Avery and I realized Aunt Flo was late for both of us. We agreed to go to the doctor together. The moment the ultrasound results came back, we both stared at the words "Pregnancy Confirmed" on the paper, falling into a collective silence. Avery grabbed my ultrasound results and criticized me for failing to protect myself. "You said you were going to ditch him after getting some acting roles! You didn't use protection?" "I did!" I protested loudly. But then I thought about the intensity against that window that night. My voice dropped: "But... it might have broken." Avery rolled her eyes, too tired to even roast me. Now it was my turn to grab her results. I yelled, "You're roasting me? What about you! You don't even have a boyfriend! Whose kid is this? Some random hookup?" Avery’s eyelashes fluttered. She shot me a guilty look and muttered, "It's Ethan’s." "Whose?" I thought I heard wrong, my face turning into a confused mess. She closed her eyes, took a breath, and yelled in my ear, "My ex! Ethan Cole!" My ears were ringing. I mumbled, dissatisfied, "Okay, okay, Ethan Cole. You don't have to yell!" Avery was broken up, and Ethan still had his 'white moonlight' ex, Chloe St. James. And me? I was Dominic Sterling's hidden mistress. His fiancée had just returned to the country. Thinking about this, we looked at each other and sighed. Clearly, neither of these men would want to claim these babies. After a long silence, Avery grabbed my hand and said hesitantly, "What if... we just dump the dads and keep the kids?" I thought about it: "Fine. Dominic has been pretty generous over the years. Plus, with the money I made acting, it should be enough to buy a nice place in Australia." "We can get a dog, a cat. One villa, two moms, two kids." This is our retirement plan! 4 Let's go! Even though Ethan was still hounding Avery, they were broken up and not living together, so she could leave anytime. But my situation was much trickier. During that time, I was trying to figure out how to propose ending this relationship, but I couldn't find the right opportunity. Until one night, Dominic staggered home, completely wasted. The moment the door opened, the smile on my face completely froze. Dominic was half-collapsed on a beautiful woman. And this woman... I had seen her in the media photos taken the day Eleanor returned to the country. Dominic’s fiancée—Isabelle Reed. "Hi, you must be Seraphina Vance. Dominic is drunk. I brought him home." Her eyes were kind as she looked at me. Different from what I imagined, Isabelle Reed seemed to know everything about me and Dominic. I managed a forced smile, took him from her, and put him on the sofa. Isabelle didn't leave. She looked around the penthouse, smiled, and asked, "Can I have a glass of water?" I walked to the kitchen island without a word. Her casual chatter followed me. "I heard that while I was abroad, you were the one taking care of Dominic. Thank you." "I've seen your movies. It's really not easy for a woman without a background to make it in Hollywood." "Eleanor mentioned it. She said she wanted to meet you at the Sterling family dinner soon. Did Dominic mention it to you?" The hand pouring the water froze mid-air. I turned around and calmly met Isabelle's eyes. In her gaze, there was no mockery of my hidden status, and no arrogance about her own background. The only thing there was the sheer confidence that belonged to the true, future Mrs. Sterling. The kind of confidence I could never feel, no matter how long I stayed by Dominic’s side. In that moment, the massive stone hanging in my heart finally crushed down. I knew, without a doubt, it was time for me to go. That night, after Dominic fell asleep, I packed up my belongings. Because I always suspected this day would come, I didn't have much in Dominic’s apartment. I left all the expensive jewelry Dominic had given me. I only took one woven rope bracelet. Dominic and I had gotten them together years ago at a spiritual retreat. We each have one. It was a wish for safety and happiness. I had been trying to think of how to say goodbye with dignity, in person. But perhaps, an in-person goodbye wasn't necessary. On the gray silk sheets, Dominic’s face was still as breathtaking as the first day I met him. He always thought he chased me. He didn't know that I fell in love at first sight, too. My heart was filled with bitterness and sadness. I sent him one last message on his phone: [I'm gone. Don't look for me. Have a nice life.] Before I left, I blocked his number. Dominic Sterling, I hope your life is safe and happy... 5 Avery and I have been living in Melbourne for three years now. We both gave birth to healthy babies. Avery’s son is named Leo, and my daughter is named Maya. When Leo and Maya turned three, Avery started a social media account showing off the kids, but without showing her own face. I opened a high-end bar in Melbourne. Life was great. We had money and free time, and my bar had plenty of hot young bartenders to look at. Until one day, a comment appeared on one of Avery’s videos. [Is it just me, or does this little kid Leo look a lot like Oscar-winning actor Ethan Cole?] Since Ethan had posted childhood photos of himself online before. As soon as this was said, netizens immediately dug up old photos for comparison. Without comparing, you wouldn't know. Once you compared, it was a total shock. You couldn't even say they looked alike. They were identical! Leo became an overnight viral sensation! A ton of people started tagging Ethan Cole on Twitter, joking about it. Netizens also asked Avery: [Who’s the dad?] Avery gave a sarcastic reply: [He doesn't have a dad. Self-cloning.] Seeing netizens questioning if she was a mistress and if the child was illegitimate, she just got sarcastic again. [If you knew who his dad was, you'd think I was incredibly unlucky.] However, the very next second after she posted that, an account named Ethan Cole replied below. [Are you sure about that? Avery Vance.] The account name was Ethan Cole. The profile picture was Ethan Cole. Most importantly, he directly called her Avery Vance. Saying this was just a crazed Ethan Cole fan was a stretch. So Avery was terrified and immediately deleted all her replies and set her account to only allow friends to comment. That night, she came to my bar to complain, terrified that Ethan would find her and take Leo’s custody away. I told her to stay calm. Australia is a massive country. Even if that person really was Ethan Cole, he couldn't find her exact address just from a few viral TikToks. Seeing her still worrying herself sick, I suggested taking her out to clear her head the next day.
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