Chapter 2

The ballroom was so quiet that only the band's final note remained.

Marcus stood a few steps away, all traces of tenderness gone from his face.

He didn't look at Vanessa or at Noah in my arms. Instead, his gaze swept over the board members seated in the front row.

"Elena is tired." He quickly came to my side and reached for my shoulder. "The stress of the adoption has kept her from sleeping much lately."

I moved away from his hand.

"Tell them whose child Noah is."

Whispers rippled through the crowd.

Vanessa stood at the nursery door, her pale fingers clutching the fabric of her dress.

Marcus's jaw tightened. "This isn't the place to discuss private matters."

"But you seemed perfectly happy to discuss our family here."

I looked at the screen behind me, where a photo of the three of us was still displayed.

"Ten minutes ago, you told everyone we finally had a son."

"Elena." A warning entered his voice. "Give me the baby."

The raised voices woke Noah. His face scrunched up as he began to cry.

I gently patted his back, so practiced at it that even I found it bitterly ironic.

For the past six weeks, I had been the one pacing the nursery with him in my arms every night.

Marcus always said he was too busy with the company and needed his sleep.

Now I understood. It wasn't that he didn't know how to care for his own son. He simply had no need to do it himself.

Vanessa finally came over. "He's hungry."

She reached for Noah, but my body turned away before my mind could react.

Hurt flashed across her face before turning into anger. "I'm his mother."

Someone in the front row gasped.

Marcus closed his eyes, as if Vanessa had just ruined the last part of his carefully laid plan.

"Yes." I stared at him. "She's Noah's mother. So who is his father?"

Marcus remained silent for so long that the answer seemed to spread through the entire ballroom.

One of the board members set down his glass. "Marcus, what is going on?"

Marcus finally turned toward the guests, his voice still composed.

"Vanessa was in a difficult situation when she became pregnant. Elena and I have always wanted a child, so we came to an unconventional family arrangement."

"I didn't agree to any arrangement." My throat burned. "I only found out five minutes ago that you're the baby's father."

The murmuring surged.

Marcus grabbed my arm and pulled me into a lounge at the side of the ballroom.

Afraid of frightening Noah, I didn't struggle. The moment the door closed, I wrenched my arm free.

"When did you start sleeping with her?"

"There's no point discussing the timeline now."

"When?"

He loosened his tie, his impatience showing. "More than a year ago."

My fingertips went ice-cold. A year ago, I had just lost my second child.

Marcus had held me all night and promised that whether we had children or not, he would always be by my side.

"So the adoption was a scam from the beginning."

"It wasn't a scam." He lowered his voice. "Noah needs a stable home, and you need a child. Vanessa doesn't have the resources you do. This arrangement benefits everyone."

"You made me pay for her prenatal care."

"That amount of money means nothing to us."

"I stayed at the hospital all night while she was giving birth, and it turns out she was having your child!"

Marcus said nothing.

Urgent knocking sounded from outside the door.

Through it, Vanessa called out that it was time for Noah to eat.

I looked down at the baby in my arms.

He had stopped crying, one tiny hand tightly clutching my dress.

Six weeks of love didn't disappear the moment a secret came to light, and that was exactly what Marcus was counting on.

He saw my hesitation, and his expression gradually softened.

"You can't bear to give him up," he said. "I know you can't."

Marcus took Noah from my arms.

This time, I didn't let go immediately.

"Once you sign the papers tomorrow, he can still be your son." Marcus leaned closer, his voice so gentle it made me sick.

"We can deal with our marriage after we get home."

At last, I released the baby.

Believing he had won, Marcus carried Noah toward the door.

"One more thing," I called after him. "What was that voting proxy you mentioned?"

He stopped.

It lasted only a moment, but I saw the panic in his eyes.

Then he turned, handed Noah to Vanessa outside, and closed the door again.

"That has nothing to do with the baby," he said.

The lock clicked behind me.

"Now, Elena, let's talk about the documents you're going to sign tomorrow."