I went out in the morning and saw an abandoned baby by the roadside.

I was about to pick the baby up and take him home when I heard the baby’s inner thoughts.

The baby thought, ‘Dad’s plan is genius. He dumped me right where Scarlett would find me on purpose. That way, she’ll take me in and adopt me. Then, I’ll legally become part of the Lumley family without any issues.

‘Back then, Scarlett used her rich family background to ruin my parents’ relationship on purpose. Now she’s stuck raising me, Dad’s illegitimate child. Now she’s getting exactly what’s coming to her.

‘Once I become part of the Lumley family, I’m going to help Dad destroy this wench as fast as I can. Then, I’ll bring Mom over so the three of us can finally be together as a family.’

The baby on the ground was still grinning at me. However, I had already heard every single one of his thoughts.

I smirked and made a phone call.

Since he was an illegitimate child, he should go where he belonged.

That evening, my husband, Raymond Lowes, came home with a large bag of formula and diapers.

“Honey, I heard you found an abandoned baby when you went out this morning. He must’ve shown up for a reason. We should adopt him.”

I peeled off my facial mask and looked at him with fake surprise.

“Dear, what are you talking about? When did I ever find a baby?”

A flash of anxiety crossed his face. “I’m talking about the baby you found in the bushes by the neighborhood this morning. Honey, I know you have a good heart. You would never just leave an abandoned baby there.”

I smiled and said, “Well, of course not. I stop to help stray cats and dogs when I see them outside, not to mention a baby.”

Raymond let out a visible sigh of relief upon hearing this.

“Then, go get the baby. He must be hungry. I bought the formula. I’ll make him a bottle right away.”

I said with an innocent look, “But the thing is, I didn’t find any baby.”

Raymond’s body turned stiff.

“Honey, stop joking around. Are you trying to surprise me or something?”

My expression turned serious.

“This is a human life we’re talking about. Why would I joke about that? If I had actually found a baby, I would’ve called the police immediately. There’s no way I’d just bring it straight home.”

Raymond instinctively said, “But she said she saw you take the baby home...”

I raised an eyebrow at him and asked, “Who?”

Raymond realized he had slipped up. He quickly tried to cover his tracks.

“Th-The guard. Yeah, the guard at our complex. She said she watched you pick up the baby.”

I smiled and said, “Then, the guard must’ve been mistaken. I mean, she isn’t exactly young anymore. Poor eyesight is pretty normal.”

“No. There’s no way she could have been wrong.”

Raymond was convinced that I had definitely brought the baby home. He searched every single room in the house at lightning speed. However, he did not find the baby anywhere.

He instantly became panicked.

“No way. Why isn’t the baby here? Where’s he?”

I walked over to comfort him, “Dear, if you really want a kid, let’s go to the hospital and schedule a vasectomy reversal. Then, we can have our own baby.”

Not long after we got married, Raymond told me that childbirth for a woman meant stepping one foot into the grave. He said he did not want me to take any risks. So, he voluntarily got a vasectomy.

Back then, I was deeply moved by his gesture. I thought I had found a man who truly loved and cared for me.

However, whenever I thought about the existence of that illegitimate child, I found it utterly ridiculous.

I pulled his arm and walked toward the bedroom.

“You’ve had a long day. Go get some rest.”

Raymond pulled his hand back and said urgently, “I just remembered that I have some unfinished business at the office. I need to go take care of it first.”

I smirked coldly as I watched him leave in a hurry.

I knew he was going to look for the baby. However, no one except me knew where that baby was.

The next day, I woke up refreshed after my beauty sleep. I turned on my phone and saw countless missed calls. All of them were from Raymond.

Before I could even react, another call came in. I tapped answer. Raymond’s anxious voice came through the phone.

“Honey, where did you go? I’ve been looking for you all night.”

I said in a relaxed tone, “I was feeling a little bored at home by myself last night, so I crashed at my friend’s place. Why? What’s going on?”

“The baby’s mother showed up. She says she saw you take the baby yesterday. If we don’t find the baby, she’s going to call the cops. Just give the baby back to her already.”

Perfect. I wanted to see who the baby’s mother really was.

After I hung up, I got up, washed up, and drove straight back to the neighborhood.

Raymond was pacing anxiously at the neighborhood entrance with a middle-aged woman in her thirties.

As soon as I appeared, he rushed toward me. However, when he saw that I was alone, his footsteps halted.

“Honey, where’s the baby?”

I looked confused. “What baby? I already told you yesterday that I didn’t find any baby.”

As soon as the middle-aged woman behind him heard that, she collapsed onto the ground and wailed, “It was you! I saw you take my baby away yesterday. Give me back my baby right now!”

Due to her shouting, many onlookers gathered at the entrance.

I observed the woman. She had a slightly plump figure. Her clothes were plain and simple. There were many pigmented spots on her face.

More importantly, she clearly looked several years older than Raymond. Unless he was blind, he would not cheat on me with a woman like that.

It was obvious that this woman was just a decoy. Raymond was protecting the real mother of the child.

I said, “Look, lady, you need proof before you start accusing people. I’m not some kidnapper. Why would I take your baby? Come on! I don’t even know you. How could I have taken your child?

“Throwing around accusations like that is straight-up slander. Honestly, I should be the one calling the cops.”

The woman cried miserably with snot and tears streaming down her face.

“My husband died when I was in my forties. This baby was born after his father passed away. After he was born, I was so scared I wouldn’t be able to raise him.

“So, I left him at the entrance of the neighborhood. I just wanted my child to be adopted by a rich family so he would never have to worry about food or clothes.

“But I regretted it. After being apart from my baby all day yesterday, I didn’t sleep a wink last night. Please, just give my child back.”

Raymond also chimed in to help her.

He said, “Honey, since she’s admitted she was wrong, just give the baby back to her already. Don’t separate a mother from her own child.”

I frowned at him and said, “Dear, how many times do I have to tell you that I didn’t find any baby? Why are you believing a random stranger over me?”

Raymond was stunned and speechless for a moment.

The woman knelt in front of me and kept begging. She said, “Miss, I truly know I’m at the wrong. From now on, even if I have to beg on the streets, I’ll never abandon my baby again. Please, I’m begging you. Just give my baby back. My baby is my whole life.”

I looked at her with a serious expression.

“I seriously did not take your baby. Is it possible that you remembered wrong or mistook me for someone else?”

She instantly denied it.

“No way. I remember clearly that it was you. You were wearing a blue dress yesterday with roses embroidered all over it.”

Raymond chimed in, saying, “That’s right, honey. Yesterday you were wearing that exact dress.”

Thanks to the woman’s and Raymond’s remarks, the bystanders concluded that I had taken the baby. They all urged me to return the baby immediately.

“After nine months of pregnancy and the pain of childbirth, she wouldn’t have thought about abandoning her baby unless she had absolutely no other choice.

“Sure, she was wrong to do it. But at least she came to her senses in time. That’s not too late. Just give the baby back to its mother.”

“A newborn shouldn’t be away from its mother for too long. Did you hide someone else’s baby? If you don’t hand it over right now, we’re calling the cops on you.”

I had a helpless expression as I said, “If a baby really got abandoned at the neighborhood entrance, then the security guard at the gate would definitely know about it. If you don’t believe me, go ask the guard.”

A resident instantly went to the security booth, pulled the guard over, and asked, “Guard, when you were on duty yesterday, did you see this woman take the abandoned baby from the side of the neighborhood entrance?”

The guard shook her head and said, “No. Everything was normal when I was working yesterday. I didn’t see any baby at all. I definitely didn’t see this lady take one.”

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at the middle-aged woman who was still kneeling on the ground and started to criticize her. One of them said, “Well, it turned out you’re the liar. We almost got fooled by you.”

“I heard there are criminal gangs these days that specifically stake out fancy neighborhood entrances. Then, they come up with all kinds of excuses to run scams and shake down the residents for money.”

“I think she must be one of those people. She pretends that one of us took her baby. Then, when the resident can’t produce the baby, she demands a huge payout to walk away. Let’s call the cops right now and have her arrested.”

The middle-aged woman panicked. She waved her hands frantically and said, “No. No, I’m not a scammer. I swear I’m not a scammer.

“I really did leave my baby at the entrance yesterday. I really did watch her take my baby away.”

She grabbed the hem of my shirt desperately.

“Where did you take my baby? Just give me back my baby already!”

Raymond became extremely anxious at that moment as well.

“Honey, I believe she’s telling the truth. It’s been twenty-four hours now. If something happens to that baby, you’d be a murderer.”