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

from me? Could he, instead of the traffickers, have stolen the newborn baby? If that’s the case,

daring to ruminate further, she opted instead to investigate

but Floretta remained in her seat with a colored pen in her hand, busy filling in the colors

conference looming close, the teachers called for every child to produce an artwork

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

classroom door swung open to admit a group of boys who came barging

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

gesture, her face flushed

touch my things, Mark? Give my

shoved Floretta away

Instead, all you have is a drawing of your family! Aunt Olivine said that you’re a

“You’re lying!”

feet angrily.

must have said those things in a fit of embarrassed anger because my father ignores

her again and jabbed a menacing finger. “Your mother threw you away as soon as you were born. Besides, Aunt Olivine said she’ll put you in the orphanage when she marries

Floretta fell onto the ground. She was so frightened at the mention of the orphanage that her scarlet eyes blossomed with

never do that,” she exclaimed indignantly while rubbing her eyes.

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

friends, began to point and laugh at

about? My mother is Angeline

tried to convince them, but despite her

laughed all the harder

is a movie star! How could she

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