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.

her heart gnawed

What is he hiding from me? Could he, instead of the traffickers, have stolen the newborn baby? If that’s the case, Evander must have been planning this

ruminate further, she opted instead to investigate the

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

looming close, the teachers called for every child

and Evander to appear together in the parent-teacher conference, Floretta honored the occasion by

to admit a group of boys who came barging in. They gazed in Floretta’s direction and

chubbier than the rest, arrived before Floretta

his gesture, her face flushed red

you touch my things, Mark? Give my drawing back

shoved Floretta away

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

“You’re lying!”

feet angrily. Her features contorted

Sherrock is the one who insists on being my mother and must have said those things in a fit of embarrassed anger

“Your mother threw you away as soon as you were born. Besides, Aunt Olivine said she’ll put you

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

that,” she exclaimed indignantly while rubbing her eyes. “I have a mother. She’s Angeline

at how good at lying

and, along with his friends,

about? My

convince them, but despite her earnestness, none of

the harder at those

a movie star! How could she be your

she loves Angeline in