Chapter 1

At the engagement party, Nick Sawyer brought a five-year-old boy over to me.l

He said, "Emily Grant, after we get married, hold off on having kids for now. Raise this boy as if he were your own."

I froze, my wine glass suspended in midair.

Everyone in the room burst out laughing—relatives, friends, all of them.

They all thought Nick was just kidding.

But I was the only one who noticed Claire Winters standing behind Nick, wearing that white dress my mom had tailored just for me.

She bent down, gently stroking the boy's head, her smile soft and full of quiet pride.

The boy looked up and called out in a clear, sweet voice, "Daddy."

The laughter in the banquet hall suddenly turned awkward.

I looked at Nick. He didn't deny it.

He bent down, scooped the boy into his arms, and turned to me. "Emily, he's just a kid. There are a lot of people here today, so try not to scare him."

I almost burst out laughing.

My engagement party. My fiancé.

His first love. And a kid calling him "Daddy."

And he was worried I'd scare the kid.

I set my wine glass down and asked, "Nick, whose kid is this?"

Claire spoke up first, her voice soft. "Emily, don't get the wrong idea. Leo's just a kid."

I stared at Nick. "I'm asking you. Whose kid is he?"

Nick was silent for a few seconds, then finally said, "He's mine."

As soon as he said it, my mom's fork clattered loudly onto her plate.

Leo. Leo Irwin.

I'd heard that name before.

Half a year ago, Nick told me a friend's kid wasn't in good health and asked me to help pick out a kids' smartwatch.

I asked him, "Why not let the kid's parents pick it themselves?"

He said, "They don't know much about this stuff. You've got a good eye."

I spent the whole night picking out that watch.

Later, Nick explained that the kid took his mother's family name, Irwin.

He said the mom left in a hurry back then and didn't want him involved with his father's family.

I didn't think much of it at the time.

Looking back now, every word was a hidden blade.

I stared at the boy in Nick's arms.

On his wrist was a kids' smartwatch, with a tiny silver sticker on the band.

I recognized it. Because I put that up myself.

That night, when Nick took the gift box, he pulled me into his arms and said, "Emily, from now on, you'll be the one picking out everything for our kids."

Turns out, the gift I spent all night picking out was for his son.

Suddenly, I felt sick to my stomach.

It wasn't Claire I was sick of.Instead, I was sick of myself over the past eight years.

Nick set the boy down and walked over to me, lowering his voice.

"Emily, there are so many people here today. Just help me smooth things over, okay?"

I looked up at him.

"How am I supposed to play along?" I asked.

"Just say Leo's a distant relative's kid, staying with us for a while," he said.

"Then why does he call you 'Daddy'?" I shot back.

Nick's face darkened.

"He's just a kid. He doesn't know any better," he said.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Is it the kid who's clueless, or are you just a little too clever for your own good?" I shot back.

I saw a flash of impatience in his eyes.

"Emily, don't start drama now," he said.

Here we go again. "Don't make a scene."

Every time I tried to get to the truth, it was just me "making a fuss." Every time I refused to just suck it up, I was labeled "immature."

I turned to Claire.

She stood under the lights, her white dress hugging her waist, as if she were the bride-to-be tonight.

When she saw me looking her way, she spoke softly, "Emily, I know this is tough for you, but Nick had no other option. Leo's always been frail. He needs his dad around."

"So what?" I asked.

"So I just hope you can be more generous," Claire said, her eyes a little red. "You and Nick are getting married soon, so we'll all be family. Leo's really well-behaved and he won't come between you and Nick."

I almost wanted to give her a standing ovation—what a performance.

A woman crashes my engagement party with her kid, and then has the nerve to tell me to be generous.

Just as I was about to say something, Mrs. Sawyer suddenly stepped forward and grabbed my hand.

"Emily, I know you feel wronged, but just hang in there for now," she said. "Nick's already promised to marry you—that's the best commitment you could ask for. Men make mistakes when they're young, it's normal. But you can't just abandon a child, right?"

I slowly pulled my hand away.

"So, Mrs. Sawyer, you mean I should be grateful he's willing to marry me at all?" I asked.

Her expression froze for a second.

"Emily, what's with that attitude?" she said.

I looked at Nick.

"Is that what you think, too?" I asked.

Nick avoided my gaze.

"Emily, I was planning to break it to you about Leo after we got married," he said.

"After we're married?" I nodded, "So your plan was to trick me into marrying you first, then hand your kid off to me and expect me to raise him?"

"Trick you? Come on," Nick finally snapped. "Claire and I are over, that's all in the past. The kid was an accident, I'm just taking responsibility. You're smart, so why do you insist on playing the victim?"

I almost laughed out of sheer frustration. 'So if I'm not the victim here, am I just supposed to play the stepmom now? Seriously?'