1 On the day of our engagement party, Sebastian shoved me aside. The heirloom ring and the wedding gifts, meant for me, he handed to my father’s illegitimate daughter. My mother’s face went pale. “Sebastian, what is the meaning of this? Do you not even recognize your own fiancée?” But the man who had been tangled in my sheets just last night, my fiancé of six years, now looked at me with an unnerving calm. “I’ve been appointed to a diplomatic post in Paris. A four-year term. Elara… she knows nothing. She’d just be a burden.” “Besides,” he added, “I’ve already put Chloe’s name down as my accompanying partner. Her French is flawless. She can be my assistant.” Ignoring the ballroom full of stunned guests, he took Chloe Blake’s hand and walked away, leaving me to become the laughingstock of Sterling Harbor. Four years later, he returned with a newly pregnant Chloe in tow. But when he saw me sitting beside his mother, his face darkened instantly. “Elara, the Ashworths have done more than enough to support the Blakes these past few years. You’re not my wife, so why are you still clinging to my family like a leech?” “I know I broke my promise back then, but it’s over. Even if you try to suck up to my mother now, I’ll never marry you. Chloe is pregnant!” I froze. So he still didn’t know. In this family, by rank, he now had to call me ‘Aunt’. … “Such disrespect!” Mrs. Ashworth’s smile vanished. She slammed her water glass down on the table with a crack. Her gaze, sharp with disapproval, swept over Chloe. “You come back here without even greeting Elara first, and you bring this… classless woman with you.” “Get her out of my sight. Now!” I lifted my teacup, the rising steam veiling the smile in my eyes. Sebastian’s father had a string of mistresses, which is why his mother despised illegitimate children more than anything. Chloe never stood a chance. Hearing the contempt in Mrs. Ashworth’s voice, Chloe’s face turned ashen. I thought she’d have the sense to retreat. Instead, she placed an ultrasound report on the table and sank to her knees, a picture of fragile vulnerability. “Mrs. Ashworth, I know I’m not worthy of you… but the babies, they’re innocent!” She shot a timid glance my way. “I know my sister was the one engaged to Sebastian, but I’m carrying his children now. The doctor confirmed it… a healthy pair of twins.” “Please, Elara, I’m begging you, have mercy. Give my children a name! I’ll even be your son’s mistress, hidden away from the world!” With that, she covered her face and broke into heart-wrenching sobs, casting a mournful look over her shoulder. Sebastian’s eyes immediately reddened with emotion. He rushed over and pulled Chloe into a fierce embrace. “Don’t say such foolish things. You’re the only woman I love, the one I’m going to marry!” At the mention of twins, Mrs. Ashworth’s eyes lit up. She hesitated, then turned to me for my opinion. “Elara, what do you think?” I took a sip of my tea before answering. “The mother of the Ashworth grandchildren being a mistress… It wouldn’t look right, would it?” My intention was to push them toward marriage. But to Sebastian’s ears, it sounded like I wouldn’t even grant her the position of a mistress. His face contorted with rage. He kicked over a nearby vase, shattering it against the floor, and snarled at me, “Who the hell do you think you are, Elara? This is the Ashworth house. You have no say here!” “It was the same back at the Blake estate! You could never stand Chloe, always giving her hell! Well, she’s my woman now. In my eyes, you’re not worth a single strand of her hair.” My fingers curled into a fist. The day Chloe came to live with us, she stole my father’s affection, moved into my bedroom, and then, claiming a sudden allergy, drowned my dog. When I screamed at her, my father slapped me twice across the face. Between the two of us, who was it that couldn't stand whom? Snapping back to the present, I looked at the furious man before me and couldn't help but laugh. “Sebastian, did you leave your brain in Paris along with your diplomatic credentials? When did I ever say I wanted to marry you?” His mother, equally incensed, pointed a trembling finger at him. “Insolent boy! Is that any way to speak to your elders?” 2 “My elders? Mom, I wasn’t talking to you, I was talking to Elara!” Before his mother could retort, a nanny’s frantic voice cut through the tension. “Mrs. Ashworth, it’s terrible! The young master… I don’t know what happened, he suddenly can’t breathe!” The anger on Mrs. Ashworth’s face was instantly replaced by sheer panic. If something happened to her brother-in-law's son in her house, that man would tear their whole world down… “How could you be so careless? Call the family doctor, quickly!” The baby’s face was a horrifying shade of purple, his only sounds strangled whimpers from deep in his throat. “Leo!” My voice cracked with terror as I lunged forward to take him. But before I could reach him, Sebastian had swept the baby into his arms. He chuckled, playfully poking the child’s cheek. “Whose little tyke is this? Cute little thing.” My eyes burned with desperate tears, my voice a raw scream. “Sebastian! Give me back my son!” Mrs. Ashworth shot to her feet, her voice a thunderous command. “You reckless boy, stop it! If anything happens to that child, none of us will be safe!” “Relax, Mom.” Sebastian just smiled, nonchalantly passing the baby to Chloe. “Chloe’s been studying child care for two years in preparation for our baby. She’ll know what’s wrong in a second.” And just as he said, after a single glance, Chloe let out a smug laugh. “Oh, it’s probably just a blocked bladder.” With that, she delivered a hard, forceful slap to the baby’s back. The sickening thud made my heart stop. My legs gave out and I crumpled to the floor. “Leo!” Mrs. Ashworth was trembling, her face drained of all color. Then, the nanny cried out in relief. “He wet himself! The young master really did it!” She quickly took the baby and brought him over for us to see. “Look, his color is returning to normal.” Seeing the purple tinge fade from my son’s face, I finally let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Tears I hadn't realized I was holding back finally streamed down my face. “Thank God…” “See, Mom? I told you she’d be a wonderful mother!” Sebastian said, lovingly tapping Chloe’s nose. She tilted her chin up, beaming with pride. “But Elara,” she started, her eyes darting around before she feigned a sudden realization, covering her mouth with her hand. “Sebastian, now that I look closer… doesn’t the baby look a little like my sister?” “Could this be her child? But we never heard anything about her getting married…” Sebastian’s pupils contracted. He snatched the baby back, his gaze flickering between the child’s face and mine. His eyes blazed with fury. “Elara, you dare cheat on me?!” Understanding dawned on his face. “No wonder you never contacted me all these years. You were hiding away, having someone else’s child!” “Whose bastard is this? Which animal did you have this mutt with, and how dare you bring him into our home to disgust me!” At his words, every servant in the room went pale, lowering their heads in silence. I rose to my feet, my voice trembling with rage as I held up my left hand, displaying the massive wedding band on my ring finger. “He is my child, you’re right about that. But I’m already married.” “And you know my husband. His name is Julian Ashworth!” 3 “Julian? You mean my uncle? The one who’s practically allergic to women?” Sebastian muttered to himself, then snapped his head up, his eyes locking on mine. A scornful laugh escaped his lips. “Everyone in Sterling Harbor knows my uncle can’t stand women. Forget women, even a female cat can’t get near him!” “Someone once tried to drug him and send a girl to his bed. The next day, their entire family vanished from the city.” “Elara, if you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.” Allergic to women? I resisted the urge to rub my temples. I almost wished it were true. It would save my body from being wrecked every night. My silence was taken as an admission of guilt. Chloe shot me a triumphant look and cooed, “Sebastian, don’t you remember? My sister declared to all of Sterling Harbor that she’d marry no one but you. When you were kidnapped by your rivals, she cried and screamed that she wanted to die with you. How could she possibly marry someone else?” “She probably got lonely these past few years and had an… accident.” “But a child of unknown origin like this… it’s not appropriate for him to stay in the Ashworth home, is it?” The memory hit me as suddenly as the gunshot had that night. Sebastian had nearly died during that kidnapping. The kidnappers demanded his father sign over the Mariner's Point development, but they didn’t know his father had several other sons. Sebastian’s life was nothing compared to that massive profit. It was me who stole the project contracts from my family’s safe. I went to the kidnappers alone and traded them for Sebastian’s freedom. That night, my father beat me with a cane, ninety-nine lashes. My mouth was filled with blood, but I never made a sound. Only when he asked if I knew my mistake did I answer with unwavering resolve. “If Sebastian dies, I won’t live without him.” They threw me out of the house, bleeding and broken. Sebastian held me, his body wracked with sobs. Without hesitation, he took the cane and gave himself ninety-nine lashes, marking his own body with the same scars as mine. Looking at my swollen eyes, he made a promise. “Elara, you’re the love of my life. These scars are the proof of our love. As soon as I prove myself to my father, I will make you my wife!” I waited and waited. I waited until Sebastian became a diplomat, until he dealt with all the other illegitimate sons in the Ashworth family. But in the end, I never got to see him come for me. It seemed Sebastian remembered, too. His expression softened, but the disgust in his eyes when he looked at my son remained. “Elara, because you saved my life once, I’ll let you stay with the Ashworths.” “Sebastian!” Chloe cried out, her eyes filling with hurt. He immediately pulled her into his arms, comforting her. “Don’t cry, Chloe. I only meant she can stay as a nanny, to take care of you and our babies.” “After all, she’s the woman the Ashworths publicly rejected. No one in Sterling Harbor would dare marry her now. You have a generous heart, my love. Think of it as giving her a place to eat.” Chloe’s tears vanished, replaced by a triumphant smile. “What about the child, Sebastian?” Looking at the baby in his arms, who bore a slight resemblance to me, Sebastian sighed. His warning gaze fell on me. “I abandoned you at our engagement party, and now you’ve cheated on me. Let’s call it even.” “I’m allowing you to stay, but this bastard child has to go. I won’t have him under my roof. From now on, your job is to take care of Chloe and her babies. And don’t you dare try to seduce me again.” 4 I had reached my limit and was about to unleash a torrent of curses. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw my son’s face turning purple again! “Leo!” I whirled around, glaring at the nanny. “What on earth did you feed him?” The nanny’s eyes darted nervously. “Nothing… nothing special. Just some milk.” “Just milk? Then why is his face turning that color?” His symptoms… he had to be choking on something. I grabbed the nanny’s arm, but Chloe stepped in front of me. “Have you no manners, sister? This is an Ashworth family nanny. You’re in no position to yell at her!” “Besides, he’s just some bastard child you had with a stranger. Is he really worth all this drama?” I ignored Chloe’s taunts and rushed forward, snatching my son into my arms. Seeing the deep purple hue on his face and the faintness of his breathing, a wave of unbearable pain washed over me. Tears streamed down my cheeks. “Get a doctor! Now!” Footsteps sounded behind me, but Sebastian blocked the way. “Nobody move!” “Elara, do you think this is a public market? You can’t just order my family’s staff around!” I shot him a look of pure hatred. “Sebastian, if anything happens to my son today, I swear I will make you pay!” “What?” His eyes reddened, filled with disbelief. “Elara, you’d talk to me like that? For a bastard you had with some other man?” I ignored his wounded expression, collapsing as I held my son, my tears a wild flood. “Leo… my Leo…” I dug my nails into my palms, my mind racing for a solution. I remembered reading about the Heimlich maneuver online and immediately tried to position my son to perform it. But in the next second, my arms were empty. Sebastian had taken him. Seeing the raw grief on my face, he trembled with rage. “Elara, he’s just a fatherless mutt! Why do you care so much?” “Unless… his father is that old flame of yours!” he roared, a look of sudden, ugly realization on his face. “So that’s it. No wonder you didn’t say a word when I left with Chloe from the engagement party. I thought you had finally grown up, but you had already found my replacement behind my back. You disgust me, Elara!” Hearing this, Chloe gasped dramatically. “Sister, I can’t believe you’re that kind of woman! If father finds out, he’ll throw you out of the family for good!” My son’s chest had almost stopped moving. Forgetting everything else, I dropped to my knees before Sebastian, my voice shattering as I begged, “Sebastian, please, I’m begging you, give me back my son.” “Just give him back to me, and I’ll forget any of this ever happened!” He had never seen me so utterly broken, and all for a child whose father was a mystery. Sebastian stumbled back a step, then his voice rose to a fever pitch. “That’s enough, Elara! I know this is all just a pathetic act to get my mother’s sympathy so you can marry me.” “Fine! I’ll marry you. Are you happy now?” “Sebastian!” Chloe cried out, swaying on her feet as tears streamed down her face. He immediately turned to wipe them away, his voice softening. “It’s just an empty title for her.” “You’ll be the one walking down the aisle with me, the one on the marriage license. My heart, my body… everything is yours.” Chloe’s tears stopped, and she gave me a magnanimous look. “Well, if you put it that way, I suppose I won’t fight my sister for it.” When Sebastian looked back at me, I was already lunging for my son. He lifted the baby high above his head. “First, you tell me who the father is. Then you can have him back.” A wave of terror washed over me, and I screamed, my voice raw and trembling, “Sebastian, put my son down!” Even his mother shot to her feet, her usually composed face slick with sweat and fear. “You crazy boy! Put that child down right now, or I swear I’ll have your father break your legs!” Sebastian just laughed. “Don’t worry, Mom. The Blakes have no real power. They won’t acknowledge a bastard child. And even if something happened, Uncle Julian would clean it up for us.” “Today, even if I dash this baby’s brains out right here, the Blakes won’t dare to say a word!” As if to prove his point, he raised his hand higher. His grip slipped. The baby fell. “NO!” I shrieked, my voice tearing from my throat. I tried to scramble forward to catch him, but Chloe stuck out her foot, tripping me. As my son plunged towards the hard floor, I squeezed my eyes shut in utter despair. But in the next second, a pair of strong hands snatched him from the air. Then, a resounding crack echoed through the room as Sebastian’s father slapped him across the face. “You worthless fool! How dare you touch your uncle’s son!”
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