I had naively assumed that Julia would back off since we were pretty adamant with our decision.

To my shock, she showed up at our doorstep with the boy early the next morning.

When I saw Howard Whitley, now only six years old, I felt nothing but instant disgust.

It seemed Julia had completely forgotten about our conversation yesterday and carried on as though nothing had happened.

"Michelle, Tyler, I thought it over after I got home yesterday. You must've refused because you haven't met him yet. You have no idea how adorable he is. I brought him over today so you can see for yourselves."

She then nudged Howard forward. "Howie, go on, say hello."

Howard was neatly dressed, tilting his head up with an overly eager, almost ingratiating smile.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. West. You have a big and beautiful house. The tables at the orphanage are nice too, because I always help Mrs. Marwood clean them. I can recite poems and do math…"

I couldn't help but find it ironic, seeing how hard he was trying to come across as well-behaved and clever.

In my previous life, I had treated him like my own son, caring for him with genuine affection. I even felt lucky to have adopted such a bright and well-behaved child.

As Howard's godmother, Julia would bring all sorts of toys and clothes whenever she came to visit, going even further than I did as his adoptive mother.

Back then, Howard had been especially close to her, too. He would even share his little secrets with her when no one else was around.

At the time, I naively thought it was because Julia had grown up as an orphan herself, so she felt a deeper sense of compassion for Howard as they shared a similar background. I assumed their closeness came from that shared sense of kinship.

It wasn't until we heard it over the car radio that we learned the truth. Julia was the mistress of real estate tycoon Alex Saggese, and Howard was their illegitimate son.

By then, Tyler and I were already in a car that had been tampered with, and we ended up driving off a cliff and losing our lives.

For more than a decade, the two of them had put on an act right under our noses, treating us like fools the entire time.

In the end, they even planned to take our lives before disappearing with the money.

I rolled my eyes inwardly.

At such a young age, his acting was already so convincing. He was Julia's son, no doubt.

Tyler leaned against the doorframe, his brow tightly furrowed. "Julia, haven't we made ourselves clear yesterday? We don't like kids."

Julia's smile nearly faltered. "Tyler, Howie's already here. What's the harm of letting him into your house? Look how well-behaved he is…"

She patted Howard's shoulders. "Howie, come on. Recite a poem."

Howard quickly stood up straight and parted his lips, ready to do as told.

"Stop," Tyler cut him short. "Whether or not he can recite poems doesn't interest us. I'll be honest with you. I hate kids, especially since they can be noisy. Please leave."

He refused to back down.

Julia immediately scowled and pointed at him accusingly. "We've been friends for years. How could you do this to me?"

"What did we do?" Tyler snorted coldly. "You knew we hated kids but insisted on pushing one on us. What kind of friend is that?"

Without hesitation, he slammed the door shut. "Goodbye."

I looked through the peephole and saw Julia stomping her feet in anger outside.

And Howard, who looked so well-behaved just moments ago, had dropped the smile from his face.

As he was leaving, he turned back and fixed his gaze on our front door. There was something dark in that look that sent a chill down my spine.

I had raised him for over a decade in my past life and still couldn't reach him. Some people were just wired that way.

After we rejected Julia that day, she backed off for a few days.

Tyler and I contacted a real estate agent about selling the house as we wanted to move out as soon as possible.

Three days later, we had just returned from a meeting with the agent when we bumped into Julia and Howard at the entrance of our apartment complex.

We immediately put our guard up, thinking she was back to push the boy on us again.

Julia pulled Howard over with a relieved smile on her face. "Michelle, Tyler, I've figured it out."

She patted Howard's head, looking every bit the picture of doting affection. "Since you don't like kids, I won't force you anymore. I've completed the adoption paperwork, so Howie's now my son. I'll raise him myself."

Hearing that, Tyler and I exchanged glances.

At this point in our previous life, Alex's wife, Catalina Tassi, was already tracking down his mistress. It was odd that she would choose this time to adopt Howard. Something just didn't add up.

"Oh? You're going to raise him yourself?" I asked. "Have you thought it through? This won't be easy."

"Well, I can't help it. We just click." Julia sighed. Then her tone shifted. "Michelle, we're best friends, so you have to help me when I get too busy."

Without waiting for a response, she rattled on, "Howie's allergic to peanuts. He can't have any. He's scared of the dark, so he needs a night-light. He won't eat carrots, but he loves peppers. Just don't make it too sweet…"

Howard stood quietly beside her, head lowered as he fidgeted with his fingers.

As I listened to Julia go on and on, the unease in my chest kept growing. If she had decided to raise him herself, why spell out his daily habits to me in such detail?

It didn't sound like she was just sharing. It felt more like instructions.

It felt as if she had already planned for me to raise the child.

After seeing them off, Tyler and I rushed home to discuss our next move.

"Something's not right," I said.

Tyler walked over to the window and frowned as he watched them leave. "Tell me about it," he replied.

I collapsed onto the couch. The more I thought about it, the more something about the whole situation felt off.

"She's officially adopted the kid now. What if she keeps finding reasons to leave him with us? As close friends, it won't be easy for us to turn her down."

"We can't let her get her way," Tyler said, falling into deep thought. "That kid's a ticking time bomb. Whoever ends up raising him will be the one to pay for it. We need to stay on our guard."

We spent the entire night devising a plan.

Yet, a few days later, an accident threw our plans into disarray.

Tyler and I were having breakfast at home when we received a call from the police station.

"Is this Ms. Michelle Butler? We regret to inform you that your friend, Ms. Julia Morse, passed away in a car accident yesterday."

I dropped the toast I was holding onto the ground.

Dead?

Tyler and I stared at each other in shock. Although we disliked her, we had no idea she'd die so suddenly.

"Her son is at the police station now. She has no relatives in this city. The kid's crying, saying you're his mother's best friend. Could you come over?"

"Is this a coincidence?" Tyler murmured. "She died mere days after the adoption."

Now that the police had contacted us, there was no way to turn them away.

I hung up, heaviness settling in my heart.

"Coincidence or not, the problem now is that the kid might end up in our care."

"Come on, let's find out what's going on." Tyler got to his feet.

Before leaving, I made another call.

When we reached the police station, the lobby was packed.

Howard sat curled up on the bench, head bowed as he sobbed quietly. When we walked in, his eyes were red as he called out timidly, "Mr. and Mrs. West…"

The officers and people around us looked on with sympathy.

An officer approached us, his tone solemn. "I'm sorry for your loss. The paperwork is completed, so he's now legally an orphan, but he keeps saying you were his mother's best friend…"

Before the officer could finish, Howard suddenly slid off the bench.

He tugged gently at the hem of my clothes, his voice trembling with tears as he spoke.

"Mrs. West, my mommy is gone. I know you don't like me. I won't go to your house, but I don't want to go back to the orphanage and get bullied. Mrs. West, can I stay at the police station? I can sleep on the floor. I'm not scared of the cold…"

Looking at his pitiful act, I felt nothing at all.

Tears kept rolling down his face, but he bit his lips hard to keep himself quiet.

The more he acted this way, the more it unsettled me. I tamped down my discomfort and didn't push him away instantly.

Around us, the murmurs and whispers kept growing louder and louder.

"The kid's too well-behaved. This is so heartbreaking."

"Their friend just died. They seem well-off enough, so why can't they take him in?"

"Yeah, at least they could help look after him for a few days."

The pressure from the crowd's opinions surged in like a rising tide. Everyone was watching our every move. If we were to say no, we'd be labelled as cruel and heartless.

Tyler was about to speak when I stopped him.

I crouched and met Howard's eyes. My voice was gentle as I spoke. "Howie, don't say that. Of course we won't leave you alone."

His eyes lit up. Clearly, he assumed we had given in.

Everyone else looked relieved.

"Honestly, we're too busy to take care of a kid. Adopting him would be irresponsible."

Howard's expression froze.

"Don't worry, though." I smiled, then looked at the entrance. "As Julia's friend, I've contacted a more capable and caring adoptive parent for Howie. She's very well off and has a special connection with him. I think she should be here any minute now."

To be honest, I wasn't sure if or when she would show up.

Just as I finished speaking, footsteps sounded at the entrance of the police station.

A few bodyguards in black suits pushed the door open.

A middle-aged woman in a dark, tailored outfit walked in right after them.

"Is this the kid no one wanted?" she said coolly. "I'm Catalina Tassi, wife of real estate tycoon, Alex Saggese. If no one's taking him, he can come with me."