I need to get rid of David as soon as possible. That was the reason I had to come up with a drastic plan—having Elijah play the role of my so-called “lover.”
It had been a bit chaotic, but the moment my mom realized I finally ended up with Elijah, she was overjoyed. She practically skipped off to start planning our wedding.
Elijah came with me to register Parry’s birth certificate sorted out. On our way to the General Registry, he glanced at me and asked, “Are we really doing this? What’s the plan if it backfires?”
I waved him off impatiently. “First, I get the divorce. Then, I take back everything David took from me. We’ll figure out the rest later.”
Elijah didn’t seem too concerned. Instead, he held Parry close, completely smitten, rocking him gently the entire ride.
“Be good, Parry. Say ‘Daddy,’ let me hear it.”
I punched him in the arm. “Hey! Don’t corrupt my son.”
Elijah scoffed. “Annes, don’t be ungrateful. I’m putting in the hard work playing your husband—if nothing else, I at least deserve some credit. What’s the harm in letting your kid call me ‘Dad’?”
I stared in disbelief as Elijah tried to hoist my son onto his shoulders for a ride. This man was supposed to be a suave, powerful CEO. He usually looked so cool. But the moment he saw a kid, it was like his brain short-circuited.
I handed over Parry’s birth certificate to the government agency. The staff asked for my son's name.
I answered, “Parry Brassie.”
Hearing that name, my heart suddenly felt hollow. Memories of my past life, of what happened after my death, came rushing back.
Back then, David had agreed to let the baby take my last name. At least on the surface. But not long after I died, he dumped Parry in an orphanage.
Someone had tried to reason with him. “Come on, David, he’s still your son. Do you really have to be this heartless?
He’ll be treated like a real orphan. Kids like that get bullied. He’ll have a miserable life!”
David just scoffed, his voice ice-cold. “A kid with someone else’s last name isn’t my son. He’s just a bastard.”
Then he turned, wrapping his arm tenderly around Elinor. Resting his ear against her swollen belly, he smiled, full of affection.
“My son will only come from Ellie.”
I had seen it all, in my soul form, unseen yet boiling with rage. I wished I could tear him apart right then.
That was when I finally understood: whether Parry carried David's last name or mine, he was always destined to be discarded.
Because the woman David truly loved—the one he had been hiding all along—wasn’t me. It was his so-called “distant cousin.” His first love.
Parry and I had never been anything more than stepping stones in his climb to the top.
After finishing the paperwork for Parry’s birth certificate, I dealt with everything else on call with my lawyer. To my surprise, when I stepped outside, I walked straight into David.
David’s arm was linked with a young woman in a way that was unmistakably intimate, as if they were shopping together in the mall.
I could already feel the bad vibes and as I walked past them, holding Parry in my arms, Elinor called out.
“Well, if it isn’t Annes! My cousin-in-law!”
Elinor approached with a forced cheerfulness but gave me a pointed look before turning her gaze toward Elijah.
“Annes, you and my cousin haven’t even gotten divorced yet and here you are with someone else? Found a new man already?”
I didn’t want to play in her game, so I tried to just leave with Elijah. However, in the blink of an eye, David stormed up, his face pale with rage and started swinging punches and kicks at Elijah.
The thing was, Elijah had been practicing self defense since he was a kid. He easily dodged David’s attack and landed two solid punches in return.
“I’ve been wondering why my wife suddenly wants a divorce! So it’s you who’s been seducing her! You piece of trash! You shameless fox!”
David’s eyes were bloodshot as he yelled at Elijah.
“The kid is mine! My wife is mine! Stay the hell away from her, or I’ll break your legs if I ever see you with her again!”
I couldn’t help but click my tongue. “Seems like we’ve run into a mad dog on the way.”
“David, if you keep acting like this, I won't hold back and called the police!” I warned, unable to hide my frustration.
