Five years ago, my son with Julian Ford died in a car accident. Julian was in the States with his mistress while she gave birth. He didn't even attend our son's funeral. Years of drifting later, we met again in a cemetery. I was holding a small cake, wanting to spend a quiet moment with my boy. But there was Julian, placing a limited-edition toy car in front of the tombstone. Beside him, a little boy threw himself into Julian's arms. "Daddy, do you think my big brother will like the gift I picked?" 1 The autumn chill had settled over the cemetery, the wind biting and cold. Julian bent down, buttoning the little boy's coat with a patience I had never seen before. That was the fatherly love my son, Leo, never had. The boy noticed the cake I was carrying, topped with a fondant race car. He asked curiously: "Ma'am, is it my brother's birthday today? Are you here to celebrate him too?" I turned my head, pretending not to hear. I used a wet wipe to clean the photo on the headstone. I stuck a candle into the cake. My Leo. His life stopped at five years old. The little boy looked at the cake, then up at Julian, and finally at me. Without a word, he took out the toy car he brought and placed it next to the cake. I felt a wave of dizziness. The boy had deep set eyes and a slender frame. He was tall for his age. He looked about fifty percent like my Leo. They both inherited their father's genes. If I didn't know exactly who gave birth to him... I think I would have hugged him, desperate for any comfort to soothe the tidal wave of grief that still crashed over me, five years later. The wind whipped around us. I tried to light the candle several times. Maybe my hands were shaking too much. It wouldn't catch. Julian naturally took the lighter from my hand. The moment our skin touched... In the past, his scent, his warmth, were things I clung to. Now, I only felt nausea. I snatched the lighter back, shoving him hard enough to make him stumble. The little boy shouted at me, protective as a guard dog: "Pushing people is wrong! Apologize to my daddy!" 2 "Noah, don't be rude." Julian's voice was heavy, devoid of the gentleness he’d shown a moment ago. The boy looked wronged, his expression a carbon copy of his mother's. Proud and stubborn. It reminded me of when Sarah first got pregnant with him, flaunting her victory in my face: "Claire, if timing hadn't played tricks on us, Julian would have met me first. He wouldn't have needed to marry a useless heiress like you." Julian crouched down and touched the boy's pouting cheek. "Didn't you say you liked your big brother the best? This is his mother. If you're too loud, your brother won't be happy." I gritted my teeth. How dare Julian? How dare he let Sarah's son call my Leo "brother"? I didn't want to stay. I returned to the country this time to move Leo's grave. I planned to find the cemetery manager to discuss it. Julian, holding Noah, followed me the whole way. When he heard my request, his voice was terrifyingly hoarse. "Claire White, you haven't visited Leo in five years. Now you come back and want to take him away?" "He is my son. I won't allow it." I swept a cold gaze over Julian. He stood tall and sharp, always in a bespoke suit. His tie was Burgundy red—Sarah's choice. He looked steady, powerful, and warm. Five years after losing Leo, Julian was still riding high on success. Unlike me. I had gray hairs at my temples now. If Leo were here, his heart would break for me. But he wasn't. I tilted my head back slightly, a cold sneer on my lips. "I'm not discussing this with you. You didn't even attend Leo's funeral. You have no right to talk to me about him." 3 Julian looked like he was holding back a storm, but before he could speak, his phone lit up. The little boy was thin and pale. He piped up in a childish voice: "It's Mommy! Is the baby in her tummy being naughty?" Julian turned away to answer. Noah ignored my cold demeanor and leaned in, whispering conspiratorially: "Just like my big brother, I'm going to be a big brother soon too! Daddy has been waiting for the new baby. I'm going to share my toys with him." My hand, flipping through the paperwork, froze. Julian and Sarah were truly a loving couple. They supported each other's careers, and popped out two kids in five years. The son they raised was clearly well-protected. Even with my dark expression, he wasn't scared. Unlike my Leo. Before he was three, his father was busy building an empire, too busy for him. After he was three, Julian fell in love with Sarah. He grew tired of me, and by extension, tired of the son I bore. He refused to come home for Leo's birthdays or holidays. On that last rainy night, Leo insisted on waiting for his dad to come home. He said Daddy promised to bring him a toy car from his business trip to the States. In the blink of an eye, my Leo ran into the street and was hit by a car. 4 Julian finished his call. I was about to sign the contract with the cemetery. He grabbed my wrist, struggling to control his emotions. "I said, you are not taking Leo." I stood motionless, expressionless. "You can go down there and tell my son that yourself." Julian's grip tightened, hurting me. Once upon a time, this man would tear up if I even got a papercut. When I nearly died giving birth to Leo... He was heartbroken beyond measure, wishing he could take the pain for me, crying as he hugged me, promising we'd never do it again. But Julian broke his word. Less than a thousand days into our marriage, he was rolling around with Sarah in his CEO office. I fought hysterically. I screamed. I made scenes. All I got in return was Sarah's encroaching presence. With Julian's permission, eventually, I wasn't even allowed to step foot in his company. 5 The contract was torn to shreds. Julian's jaw was set tight. He told his driver, Lee, to take Noah to the car. Seeing my face, panic flashed across Lee's features. "M-Miss White!" Back when Julian was a destitute heir, Lee worked for my family, the Whites. He witnessed me fighting with my stepbrother for Julian. He also helped cover up the lipstick Sarah left in Julian's car. Truly, dynasties change, but the driver remains. Julian's eyes were pitch black, like a bottomless abyss. The aura of a man in power surged around him. He turned and threatened the cemetery manager: "If my son doesn't rest in peace here, I will make you understand the true meaning of consequences." The manager looked at me helplessly and scurried away. I couldn't take it anymore. I swung my hand to slap Julian. But it didn't land. He caught my hand firmly. Julian spoke with a grit-teeth intensity: "Claire, you want to cut all ties with me. Even Leo." "You hate me, don't you?" He stepped closer, pinning me against the gray wall, dust motes dancing in the air. I took a deep breath. "Why would I hate you? If a dog bites your whole family, and you can't kill it, do you have to remember it forever?" With Julian's current wealth and status, even the White family at its peak couldn't compare. I had tried fighting a losing battle too many times. I had lost too much. For Sarah, he attacked me and my family without a bottom line. I learned to accept life's unpredictability and helplessness. I just wanted to take my Leo away.
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