Her Precious Baby

He expected Angeline to blame and scold him instead of opening up like this. It was as if she had numbed herself to her fate.

The only thing more dangerous than a fight in a relationship was a cold shoulder, which was proof of her increasing disregard for him.

Evander felt empty in the stomach at that thought. He reached out and grabbed Angeline’s arm.

“Why did we have to break up?” he asked, gritting his teeth in dismay.

“Was I not clear enough?”

“I want the real reason.” Evander gazed down at her, his voice husky. “Why did you react that way when you saw the Heart of the Ocean I gifted you? What are you hiding from me?”

He only realized the shift in Angeline’s emotional state after he calmed down. Though he was unclear of the reason, he surmised upon further thought that it must have been due to the necklace.

“Is that important?”

Angeline’s heart skipped a beat at Evander’s words. She turned around to face him while feigning a calm she did not feel.

“Everybody has their secrets, Mr. Golding. That must be why you won’t tell me who Floretta’s real mother is.”

Initially prodding Evander to see if she could discover something, she did not expect such a hostile reaction from him.

“You are becoming bold, Angeline!”

“Forget I ever asked.”

Angeline scoffed and again struggled to free herself of Evander before turning around to leave abruptly.

doubt in her heart gnawed

me? Could he, instead of the traffickers, have stolen the newborn baby? If that’s the case, Evander must have been planning this charade and knew that I would only hate him all

Not daring to ruminate further, she opted instead to investigate the matter thoroughly

play when the bell in the kindergarten rang a long time ago, but Floretta remained in her seat with a colored pen in her hand, busy filling

the teachers called for every child to produce an artwork to be presented

it was rare for Angeline and Evander to appear together in the parent-teacher conference, Floretta honored the occasion by applying herself fully to

door swung open to admit a group of boys who

boys, chubbier than the rest, arrived before Floretta with his chest puffed up and

his gesture, her

my things, Mark? Give my drawing back to

hands shoved Floretta away and perused the sketchbook

fancy artwork in here. Instead, all you have is a drawing of your family! Aunt Olivine said

“You’re lying!”

angrily.

and must have said those things in a fit of

her again and jabbed a menacing finger. “Your mother threw you away as soon as you were

to withstand the oppression of his bulk, Floretta fell onto the ground. She was so

will never do that,” she exclaimed indignantly while rubbing her eyes. “I have a mother.

from ‘The Journey’? Look at how good at lying Floretta is! She’s practically

along with his friends, began to point and laugh

you laughing about? My

them, but despite her earnestness,

they laughed all the harder

movie star! How could she be your

binge-watching ‘The Journey,’ and she loves Angeline in it. She’s the