His Son Calls Another Man Daddy

Eight years after I ran away, I had an unexpected reunion with my ex-husband, Blake Sterling, in the city of Oakhaven.

His friends gaped at me. "So, this is what you've become since you ran out on Blake? A freelance event designer?"

Eight years ago, I was seven months pregnant when I suddenly started hemorrhaging. As I lay in an ambulance, my life hanging by a thread, he was at his "true love" Tiffany's yacht party, ignoring my desperate calls, one after another.

My heart shattered when I confronted him. He just shot me an impatient look. "Stop being so dramatic. I don't have time for this. As long as you know your place, you'll always be Mrs. Sterling."

I couldn't bear it any longer. So I ran. And I was gone for eight years.

Now, those same cold eyes were staring at me again. "Are you done with your little performance? When you are, you're coming home with me."

What he didn't know was that my husband and daughter were already waiting for us at home, with dinner on the table.

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1

"Where the hell have you been all these years? Do you have any idea how hard I've looked for you?" Blake Sterling growled, blocking my path.

His eyes blazed with undisguised fury, and I subconsciously glanced at my son, Cody Vance, who was helping me pack up my equipment a short distance away.

His friends closed in, their glares like daggers.

"You heartless woman! How could you be so cruel?"

"Did you know he's stayed single all these years, waiting for you?"

I had run away eight years ago while pregnant, but Blake had apparently never forgotten me, using all his connections to search for me. His friends were all indignant on his behalf.

"We thought you'd make something of yourself after leaving Blake. And this is what you've become? Some freelance event designer?"

"Exactly. Without Blake's connections, this is all you'd ever amount to. Serves you right for walking out on him!"

Blake’s gaze swept over me, a frown creasing his brow. "So, Amelia. What have you been doing for the past eight years?"

I clutched my work apron, a storm of emotions churning inside me. After leaving Blake, I'd survived roach-infested apartments, eaten expired food from supermarkets, and even lain helpless and alone in a hospital bed.

But thank God, all of that was in the past.

A few of Blake's friends laughed contemptuously.

"Now you realize how good Blake is, don't you?"

"Why don't you kneel and beg for his forgiveness? Maybe if he's in a good mood, he'll take you back."

Their eyes raked over me, a malicious glint in them as they snickered under their breath.

Blake remained silent, showing no intention of stopping them.

Cody thought I was being bullied and immediately clenched his fists, rushing over to glare at them. "Don't you touch my mom!"

Worried he'd get too worked up, I quickly pulled him into my arms and soothed him gently. "Cody, it's okay. Mommy's fine."

Cody's features were a mirror image of Blake's, right down to the hint of a cold demeanor. Recognition dawned on Blake's face.

His gaze softened. "Cody, right? I'm your dad. Come here, let me have a look at you."

Blake gently extended a hand to Cody, but Cody slapped it away and shouted, "You're not my dad! My dad is the founder of Aurum Investments! He protects me and Mom! You're a bad man!"

Julian Croft, the founder of Aurum Investments, was a tech mogul in Oakhaven, a titan of the industry, someone a man of Blake's standing could only dream of meeting—let alone someone like me.

Blake's face instantly darkened.

"Is this what you've been teaching him? To lie? To be a snob? To deny his own father?"

He was convinced I had ulterior motives, that I had coached our son to call another man 'Dad'.

He didn't know that Cody was constantly mocked at school for not having a father.

He didn't know Cody had also been diagnosed with a mild social anxiety disorder, making it difficult for him to fit in.

Without Julian's patient guidance, without him stepping in to be the father Cody so desperately needed, I couldn't imagine what would have become of my son.

As expected, Blake's accusation provoked Cody, and tears welled up in his eyes.

"I didn't lie! I'm not a liar! You are!"

Blake roughly yanked Cody out of my arms and glared at him. "Is this what your mother taught you? To be so rude to your own father?"

"What are you doing?! Don't scare him!"

I tried to pull Cody back, but Blake shoved me aside.

"Look at him! Selfish and a liar! He's nothing like a Sterling! This is your fault! He needs a real lesson, and I'm going to give it to him today!"

Cody's face flushed with anger, and in his struggle, he pushed Blake. In a fit of rage, Blake's control snapped. "I'm your father, and you will listen to me!" he roared, his grip tightening on Cody's arm.