On my 18th birthday, my adoptive uncle, Roderick Campbell, discovers my journal.

He immediately starts berating me. "How could you have such dirty thoughts about me, Savannah? I never would've expected you to be like this!"

I apologize to him and say I should never have developed feelings for him. However, he still banishes me abroad. Then, he has a grand wedding with his first love.

Later, I return to the country with a child.

Roderick looks at me in astonishment. "Who is this kid?"

I hold the child closer. "My son. He's three this year."

I turn to Danny Tucker and say, "Say hi, Danny."

Even as I boarded the plane, everything still felt surreal.

In the six years I had spent abroad, I never imagined that I'd have the chance to return. After all, Roderick Campbell had once told me he never wanted to see me again.

Yet, it was he who had asked me to come back. He had arranged everything, just so I could attend the celebration of Francesca Hart's victory in the jewelry design competition.

Back then, I had left for somewhere far away. Even the flight had two layovers.

…

After we landed, Danny Tucker stirred in my arms. The unfamiliar surroundings made him uneasy, and he reached out, calling, "Mommy!"

Seeing his frightened face, I quickly picked him up.

Soon, I made my way to the terminal doors at the airport. I was just about to flag down a cab when my phone in my pocket rang.

I had deleted the number long ago, but it was still etched in my memory.

I didn't snap out of my daze until the call ended automatically. Then, without much delay, my phone rang again.

Taking a deep breath, I pressed the answer button.

Almost immediately, Roderick's voice came through.

"Have you exited the terminal yet?" he asked. "I'll have my assistant pick you up."

Even after all these years, his voice hadn't changed. It was still cold and distant, as if we were discussing business.

I chuckled dryly. "There's no need for that. I can take a cab."

Roderick didn't expect my response and paused. After all, he had always looked after everything for me before.

During the years we lived together, every detail of my life—food, clothing, and daily needs—was taken care of. I even had a personal driver, so I never had to hail a cab.

After a moment of silence, Roderick spoke again. "Let Curtis pick you up. There's a gift for Francesca in the trunk. I picked it out on your behalf, so make sure she gets it."

He had always been attentive to Francesca. Six years ago, he had given her a lavish, once-in-a-lifetime wedding. He had even bid on a rare diamond and turned it into a custom wedding ring.

All of this proved one thing—Roderick loved Francesca.

"Got it," I said flatly, eager to end the conversation.

However, he didn't hang up right away. Instead, his voice took on a warning tone. "You've been abroad for six years, so I hope you've thought things through by now. Don't cause trouble, and don't even think about hurting Francesca."

I froze, the noise around me fading into silence.

By then, Roderick had ended the call, and a bitter smile tugged at my lips.

His warning was unnecessary as I had no intention of doing anything. All I wanted now was to have a quiet life with Danny and a job that could support us.

…

As I left the airport, I pulled my cap lower over my face.

The passion I'd had at 18 had long since burned out. Even I couldn't believe how far I had fallen.

In six years, I had hit rock bottom.

My parents died in a plane crash when I was young, leaving me with no relatives. As a result, I became an orphan.

Roderick saw how vulnerable I was and supported me financially. Because of him, I had the opportunity to grow up with stability.

Our bond was like that of family. But when I turned 18, I realized I had developed feelings for him.

I knew, however, that we could never be together. So, I wrote my feelings down in my journal.

If Roderick had never seen it, I could have buried those feelings and kept them hidden forever. But he had found it.

In a fit of anger, he had ripped my journal apart. When he looked at me, his eyes were filled with disgust. "Savannah Lloyd, how could you feel that?" he had spat.

I had wanted to explain, but I hadn't known how. Ultimately, all I could do was apologize repeatedly, telling him that I shouldn't have feelings for him.

I hadn't understood why it was wrong to have feelings for Roderick. But if it had disgusted him that much, then maybe the fault was mine after all.

Even so, he hadn't let it go.

The next day, Roderick pulled me out of school. Before I could even understand what was happening, he had put me on a plane bound for another country.

He had also arranged for me to attend a university in a remote place. To make sure I had no contact with the outside world, he had hired bodyguards and housekeepers to keep watch over me around the clock.

At first, I couldn't understand why he had done this. It wasn't until two months later, when Roderick's wedding had hit the headlines, that everything became clear.

That was when I realized that, all these years, he had never gotten over his first love.

And so, Roderick gave Francesca the most extravagant wedding.

I watched that video countless times. In it, he looked at her with such tenderness as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. He had never looked at me that way.

At that moment, everything clicked. Roderick had only helped me because he felt sorry for me.

"Ms. Lloyd, please get in the car."

The voice of Curtis Moore, Roderick's assistant, jolted me back to the present.

With that, I picked Danny up and got into the car.

When Curtis saw him, a flicker of surprise crossed his face. "Ms. Lloyd, this is…"

"My son," I replied, gently brushing my fingers over Danny's chubby cheek and pulling him a little closer.

Curtis' eyes widened slightly upon hearing that, yet he didn't say anything further.

…

Curtis then drove us to the hotel where Roderick and Francesca had tied the knot six years ago.

Throughout their marriage, Roderick had spoiled her to no end. Whether it was her birthday or their anniversary, he always threw extravagant banquets.

This time, he had asked me to return. I figured it was to show me how successful Francesca had become, and to let me see how happy they were together. It was also an effort to make me give up on him for good.

As soon as I stepped out of the car, I saw Francesca waving at me.

In contrast to my pale, tired face, she looked every bit the pampered rich woman. Her expensive jewelry and clothes spoke volumes about Roderick's affection for her.

The moment Francesca saw Danny in my arms, her smile faltered.

She pointed at him with surprise and asked, "Sav, you had a baby overseas? Rick doesn't even know about it! I can't believe you kept this hidden so well!"

Before I could respond, Francesca started to tease Danny playfully. However, he didn't like strangers touching him and kept pulling away.

Seeing that, I quickly patted his back, trying to calm him.

The truth was, Francesca knew exactly how I felt about Roderick. But this time, I had no intention of engaging with either of them.

Francesca ignored Danny's discomfort and insisted on holding him.

As we approached the private room, Danny couldn't hold it in anymore and burst into tears.

I immediately reached for him. Francesca, on the other hand, forced a smile as she handed him back to me.

"Rick knows I'm afraid of pain," she stated. "Giving birth is tough, and he didn't want me to go through that. That's why we never had kids. Who would've thought that you had a son?"

As she spoke, she opened the door to the private room. Inside, several people were already seated.

I didn't feel like talking, so I made my way to the farthest corner of the room. But to my surprise, Francesca sat down right next to me.

Then, she wrapped her arm around my shoulder and enthusiastically introduced me and Danny to the others.

Unable to bear the awkward tension, I excused myself to go to the restroom.

When I returned, I overheard Francesca saying, "What do you mean she's a burden? Rick has been supporting Savannah for years. At this point, she's family.

"Besides, no one can change the fact that Rick's my husband. She was young and didn't know better. It's normal to have those feelings. But now, with a kid, I don't think there's anything left to worry about."

I stood by the door, listening quietly.

In the eyes of outsiders, I was the woman who had fallen for the man who could have been my uncle. To them, I was nothing but a freak, a woman who had disregarded moral boundaries.

At that moment, Danny tugged at my hand anxiously. I kissed him, and despite everything, walked back into the private room.

Now that those things were behind me, I should just face them calmly.

I didn't know how much time had passed. But suddenly, the door to the private room swung open.