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.

the doubt in her heart gnawed at

from 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

Angeline’s arms grew weak. Not daring to ruminate further, she

rang a long time ago, but Floretta remained in her seat with a colored pen in her hand, busy

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

appear together in the parent-teacher conference, Floretta honored the occasion by applying herself

swung open to admit a group of boys who came barging in.

before Floretta with his chest puffed up and grabbed her

her face flushed red

touch my things, Mark? Give my drawing back

boy’s meaty hands shoved Floretta away and perused the sketchbook with

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

“You’re lying!”

feet angrily. Her features contorted with

and must have said those things in a

finger. “Your mother threw you away as soon as you were

bulk, Floretta fell onto the ground. She was so frightened at the mention of the orphanage that

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

how good at lying

his friends, began to

about? My

despite her earnestness,

the harder

Sorelle is a movie star! How could she be your

she loves Angeline in it. She’s the