Francesca shrank behind the door, peeking out cautiously, her eyes full of fear and confusion, curious, perhaps, about why this man in a wrinkled suit had come.
Lorenzo stood there, stiff and helpless, clutching the front of his suit tightly. The once-crisp fabric was now creased and messy.
“Francesca, come here and let Unc—Daddy have a look at you.”
He forced a smile that looked more painful than sincere. He reached out his hand.
But that hand had always been the one he raised to hit her.
The moment it lifted, Francesca’s eyes turned red. She curled into the corner, hugging her head, her tiny body trembling.
Lorenzo froze like a child caught doing something wrong. He only snapped out of it when he heard her soft sobs.
“Francesca, don’t be afraid. I’m not here to hurt you,” he said, stepping closer.
“Don’t hit me, Uncle... please don’t hit me…”
“My mommy really is dead… I’ve never even seen her…”
Her fragile voice made his heart stop. He clenched his fists, hatred flashing in his eyes.
“That’s right. It’s all Yana’s fault. How dare she give birth to my child behind my back…”
“And then just leave like that.”
He gently patted Francesca’s head, ignoring the way she flinched at his touch.
“Don’t be scared. Once I find your mother, I’ll make her come to apologize to you.”
Hearing those words, I couldn’t help but laugh.
Back then, I had happily told Lorenzo I was pregnant. But instead of believing me, he accused me of lying, calling me delusional and saying I was just trying to marry into the Clark family.
“Yana, don’t think using a cheap excuse like this will get you through our doors.”
“I’ve always been careful. How could you possibly be pregnant?”
What he didn’t know was that one night, when he was drunk, he mistook me for Tabitha and that’s how Francesca came to be.
He warned me not to get any ideas, saying the title of Mrs. Clark would always belong to Tabitha.
But he was the one who chased after me first. He proposed to me in front of everyone, promising he’d love me forever.
His mother looked down on me, saying my background wasn’t good enough. But he had held me close and told me. “Yana, my mom just doesn’t accept you yet. But once you have my child, she’ll come around and welcome you into the family.”
Now, I have given birth to Francesca. And still, he refused to believe it, going as far as to abuse his own daughter.
“Lorenzo!”
Tabitha, dressed in her wedding gown, had chased him down. The moment she saw him, tears welled up in her eyes.
“Lorenzo, how could you run away from the wedding?”
Her tears fell without end and Lorenzo panicked. He forgot all about Francesca, who was still huddled in the corner and rushed to comfort Tabitha.
“Tabitha, I’m sorry.”
“My assistant just called. The paternity test confirmed Francesca is my biological daughter.”
The moment those words left his mouth, the color drained from Tabitha’s face.
Lorenzo seemed to sense something wasn’t right and asked hesitantly, “Tabitha, did you really see it clearly back then? Did Yana really cheat on me?”
Tabitha froze. At this point, she didn’t even have time to question why he had run away from the wedding. She quickly nodded, her voice a bit shaky.
“Lorenzo, I saw it with my own eyes. That man went with Yana to her prenatal checkup. They looked just like a married couple.”
“Lorenzo, just to be sure, we should do another paternity test.”
Lorenzo glanced at Francesca. After a brief pause, he agreed.
“Francesca, come with Uncle for a moment.” He bent down and took her by the arm.
He was desperate to know the truth and ended up half-dragging her to the car.
This time, Lorenzo was careful. He personally brought Francesca to get their blood drawn. But what he didn’t see was Tabitha standing behind him, exchanging a quick glance with the lab technician.
