Chapter 3

I made sure to turn on the recorder in the evening.

Ryan told me he was going home, but instead, he walked straight into Elaine's room.

Their voices drifted out, thick with intimacy. "Ryan, we've come this far. Why won't you just marry her?

"If you don't marry her, Kyle will always have to stay hidden. He's waiting for us to bring him home."

Ryan brought up the prenup.

Elaine scoffed. "It's just a piece of paper. Just keep her under control for now. Have you forgotten that Kyle is still waiting for you?

"He's our son, and I'm so done with having to keep our heads down all the time. That bitch and her old folk are so annoying. If you marry her, our problems will soon be solved."

I was shaking with rage, and my heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

Holly's voice rang in my head. "Mom, how dare she talk about you like that? Save the evidence and tell Grandpa.

"Now you see what kind of jerk he really is, right? Why would you even think about marrying a guy like that? Are you seriously going to jump into the trap?"

Fighting the urge to kill Ryan, I told Holly firmly, "Sweetie, I have to marry him."

Only by getting married could I lock Ryan in and make him sign the prenup. By then, he wouldn't be able to back out even if he wanted to.

Even if everyone thought I was making a huge mistake, I was still going to go through with it.

Elaine's words must have worked, because Ryan finally agreed to talk about the prenup.

He agreed to sign the prenup, but only on one condition.

He said, "After the baby is born, you have to stop meddling in my life. I don't want anyone thinking I'm living off you.

"Jenny, I fought my way out of a small town and made it into the best school in the country. I made my family proud. I didn't do all that just to be your sidekick or live under your spotlight. I want to be myself."

With a bright smile, I agreed right away.

Ryan was taken aback by how quickly I said yes.

I played along and said, "I know how great you are. They just don't understand. I love you, and I'll give you whatever you want."

It was only after I saw him sign the prenup that the weight in my chest finally eased.

Ryan and I finally registered our marriage at the city hall.

I invited all my friends and family to celebrate. They even showed up early at the city hall entrance, ready to head home together after everything was done.

Even my dad and Elaine were there.

When I held the marriage certificate in my hands, Elaine's eyes were full of complicated emotions. However, she kept her tone polite.

She said, "Honestly, nothing makes me happier than seeing you two finally married."

One of my friends said, "Jenny, you've made your dreams come true. Marrying Ryan? Seriously, I'm so jealous."

"Totally. Jenny is the luckiest girl ever; she's got money, a pretty face, and a husband who's as handsome as a model and totally adores her. She has everything she wants," another one said.

They just kept hyping me up.

Ryan took my hand and, with everyone watching, made a solemn promise. "With all of you here as witnesses, I want to say to Jenny that I'll try my best to make her happy."

Everyone burst out laughing.

My dad announced he'd booked out the whole hotel so everyone could party.

Just as we were about to leave, someone suddenly screamed, "Where did this filthy kid come from? Get away from me."

In an instant, everyone's eyes were on the kid.

His eyes were big and bright, and his smile was soft; he looked like a little prince.

However, his face was so dirty, and he looked like a stray kid who hadn't seen a shower in days.

"He looks like he grew up homeless, probably just some stray kid nobody wants. Just ignore him."

"Forget it. He's probably the type of child waiting to be adopted by someone else."

Elaine stared at him, her eyes rimmed with tears.

Just as everyone was about to leave, the boy suddenly burst through the crowd.

He stumbled and tumbled forward, collapsing right at Ryan's feet.

He clung to Ryan's leg, his eyes blurry with tears as he cried out, "Dad, don't you want Kyle anymore?"

Ryan's face went pale, and he was visibly trembling, unable to hide his panic.

Just then, someone in the crowd said, "Hey, you know what? That kid really does look like Ryan. Could he actually be his son?"

"Seriously? Does that mean Jenny is about to become a mom without even having to go through the hard part?" another one said.