Chapter 1
It had been nine months since Edward and I divorced.
Out of the blue, he called me, his voice light and casual. "I'm getting married next Wednesday. Are you coming?"
I glanced at my newborn daughter in my arms and replied coolly, "No. I just had a baby. I'm taking it easy right now."
There was a long silence on the other end, at least ten seconds.
I thought he'd hung up.
But ten minutes later, he stormed into the hospital room with a fruit basket, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at the baby.
"Nine months? When did you get pregnant?" His voice sounded different, almost shaky.
*****
It was raining lightly outside the window the day I gave birth to my daughter.
The nurse placed the baby in my arms and said she was such a good baby.
I looked down at her.
She was a tiny little thing, her eyes still closed, but her fingers grabbed onto the edge of my shirt.
My phone buzzed on the bedside table.
A name popped up on the screen.
It was Edward Quinn
It had been nine months since Edward and I divorced.
In all that time, he never once asked how I was doing.
He wasn't calling now out of concern.
I answered the call.
It was noisy on the other end, as if he were in a private room at a restaurant.
Edward's voice was light and casual. "Laura, I'm getting married next Wednesday. Are you coming?"
I looked down at my daughter in my arms.
She was sleeping peacefully.
I was quiet, too.
"No," I said.
Edward let out a laugh. "What, afraid to see me marry someone else?"
I reached out and gently touched my daughter's face. "No. I just had a baby. I'm taking it easy right now."
Suddenly, the line went quiet.
I heard someone calling his name on the other end.
Someone laughed and asked, "Who is it?"
Edward didn't answer.
Ten seconds passed.
Twenty seconds passed.
I thought he'd hung up.
But then he spoke, his voice suddenly lower, "What did you say?"
"I said that I had a baby," I answered calmly.
With that, I hung up.
The nurse came in to change the dressing and saw that I looked pale. She asked if I was hurting anywhere.
I shook my head.
"I'm fine," I said.
But honestly, it still hurt.
Not the incision, it was remembering those old words that sent a chill through me.
Edward had once said in front of his mother, Helen Quinn, that I was too cold, that I was not the kind of woman who could ever be a mother.
Helen once said, "If a woman can't be a loving partner, she should just step aside for someone who can."
Rachel James was sitting on their couch, quietly sipping her coffee, not saying a single word.
But she was wearing my wedding ring.
That day, I signed the papers.
In the divorce settlement, I didn't ask for the house or the car. I only took my own savings from before the marriage.
They all thought I left empty-handed.
Suddenly, there were hurried footsteps outside the door.
The nurse had turned around when the hospital room door was pushed open.
Edward stood in the doorway.
He was carrying some food.
His suit jacket was drenched by the rain, and his hair plastered to his forehead.
He completely ignored the nurse, his eyes glued to the baby in my arms.
His eyes looked like he'd been struck by lightning.
The nurse frowned, "Who are you?"
Edward didn't answer.
He took two steps forward. "Nine months?"
I pulled my daughter closer to my chest. "Get out."
His eyes were red and wild. "Laura, when did you get pregnant?"
I met his gaze.
Nine months apart, and he's still the same guy.
Whenever things didn't go his way, he always thought the whole world owed him an explanation.
I replied coolly. "It's none of your business."
Edward's Adam's apple bobbed. "Who's the father?"
The nurse immediately stepped in front of the bed. "Sir, this is the maternity ward. Please leave."
Edward acted as if he didn't hear her.
He stared at the hospital band wrapped around the baby's tiny wrist.
It listed the time, the mother's name, and the baby's gender, but the father's name was left blank.
His expression slowly twisted, the shock settling in. "Why's the father's name left blank?"
I gave him an icy little smile. "She doesn't need a father."
Edward's head jerked up, his eyes locking onto mine. "Laura, say that again."
I leaned back against the pillow, my voice calm and steady. "She's a Wynn. From now on, she's only got me."
Edward dropped the food box, and it crashed onto the floor.
Apples spilled out, rolling across the room and hitting the leg of the bed.
The nurse pressed the call button.
Edward came to his senses and reached out for the baby.
I looked up at him. "Edward, if you lay a finger on her, I'll call the cops right now."
His hand froze in midair.
I could hear security shouting outside the door.
But then Edward suddenly burst out laughing. His smile was ugly, almost chilling. "You won't let me touch her because you're scared, right?"
I stared at him, my heart not flinching. "Edward, you were the one who signed the divorce settlement nine months ago.
"Now you want to ask about the baby? It's way too late for that."