Chapter 3

The hand gripping the doorknob suddenly froze as I heard Cora's sweet voice.

"Aunt Cora really wants to be your Mom too, but what about your current Mom?" She feigned concern.

"Can't I have two Moms?" The child's innocent voice was tinged with confusion.

Cora noticeably stiffened, taking a moment before continuing.

"No, sweetie. Caelan can only have one Mom, and Daddy can only have one wife."

A brief silence fell over the hospital room. I unconsciously held my breath.

"Then I choose Aunt Cora." The guileless words echoed in my ears, striking my heart like a sledgehammer.

Unwilling to hear any more of their mother-son bonding, I silently placed the fruit basket at the door and turned to leave.

Staring at the files sent by the private investigator, I collapsed helplessly onto the hotel couch.

So it turns out that years ago, Cora had taken Mrs. Carlisle's $5 million and fled overseas, only to blow through the money in three years and scramble back to the States.

At that time, Jasper, on a business trip, met Cora working as a waitress at a motel.

The two hit it off immediately, and things spiraled from there.

Jasper's strange behavior in the past suddenly made sense now.I scrolled through Cora's social media account, following the information I had gathered. As I swiped through her posts one by one, I realized that all the clues had been there all along.

August 5, 2018: "Reunited with my love, I couldn't be happier." The accompanying photo showed clothes strewn about the floor.

That day, I had been forced to drink by clients and was violently sick by the roadside. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get in touch with Jasper.

August 27, 2018: "I'm scared of thunderstorms, but I'm even more afraid of not having you by my side."

At that time, I had just found out I was two weeks pregnant. Jasper, who had originally said we should celebrate, took a call on the balcony behind my back and hurriedly left.

September 16, 2018: "My life is more complete because of you. Thank you for being my sweetheart."

The ultrasound pregnancy test showed I was already 5 weeks along.

October 25, 2018: "I must be having a false pregnancy. How else could my appetite and food intake have increased so much?"

The photo showed a man wearing an apron, bustling about in the kitchen.

During that period, I was suffering from such severe morning sickness that I could barely eat. I was deeply touched that Jasper had hired a professional nutritionist to come to our home.

...

Back then, I had stayed by Jasper's side as both a junior and a friend when he was heartbroken.Eight years ago, he said he felt lonely working solo and wanted to invite me, fresh out of college, to join his company and fight alongside him.

I agreed.

Six years ago, he proposed, saying he hoped I could be the one to walk through life with him hand in hand.

I agreed.

Because even before these fleeting sweet moments, I had already been secretly in love with him for a year.

At a career guidance seminar, after Jasper finished speaking as an outstanding graduate, he organized an activity to randomly select an audience member for a summer internship at a Fortune 500 company.

The Fortune 500 company was a renowned local enterprise, also owned by Jasper's parents.

Everyone wanted to intern there to boost their resume, including me.

The spotlight randomly flashed over the audience, and I nervously fidgeted with my fingers.

Half a minute later, the dancing spotlight stopped on me, eliciting gasps of surprise and disappointment from those around me.

On stage, Jasper looked at me with a smile.

"Vivienne, right? I've seen your name on many competition award lists."

"Let me formally introduce myself. I'm Jasper, and I'm honored to soon be your colleague."