So Certain, Again

"Surely, no one can measure up after you've been with me. Who else could you possibly meet that's on my level? If you weren't waiting for me, who could you even turn to?"

I let out a long sigh. So that was it. In his eyes, I was never someone who could end up with anything better. That was why he'd walked away so casually back then—and why he now felt so justified coming back.

Just then, the light turned green. I stepped on the gas and, after clearing the intersection, spoke quietly. "Stellan, I'm not joking. I'm married now. I have a child. Once we park, you should leave. I don't want you interfering with my life."

Stellan frowned slightly. "Ivy, do you really think that's enough to fool me? I know you're angry. Throw your tantrum however you want—I'll indulge you until you've had enough and come back to me willingly."

Since words clearly meant nothing to him, I decided to let reality do the talking.

…

"Mommy, why were you so late today?" My boy, Ollie, ran toward me with his arms wide open, smiling sweetly.

"I went back to our old place to grab something. Did I make you wait too long? How about some fries later to make it up to you?"

"Yay!" My son hugged me happily.

Stellan hadn't expected me actually to return holding a child's hand. His expression turned grim instantly. "Ivy, even jokes have limits. How can you just grab someone else's kid like this? If we're being serious, this counts as kidnapping. You could go to prison, you know. Hurry up and return him."

Fuming, Stellan reached out and grabbed Ollie's arm, trying to pull him away. I immediately slapped his hand aside and pulled Ollie into my arms. "What are you doing?"

Just then, a kindergarten teacher noticed us and walked over. "You must be Ollie's dad, right? I've only ever seen Ivy before. Nice to finally meet the father."

Stellan stared at me in shock. "He's really your son?"

"Of course." I was about to leave with Ollie when Stellan suddenly blocked my way and fixed his gaze on the teacher. "How old is the child?"

"He's three, of course."

'Three?!' Stellan grabbed my arms tightly. "Ivy, he's my son, isn't he? Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant back then?!"

"If I'd been carrying your child back then, would you really not have married Amelia?" I questioned, looking at him evenly.

"I…" He faltered, then lowered his head and frowned. "If I hadn't married her, Amelia would've died."

I sneered. "Well, thank goodness I never had your child."

"Ivy, I'll take you and our son home right now. My parents have been waiting years for me to have a child. If you bring him back, they won't care about our different backgrounds anymore."

I nearly rolled my eyes into the back of my head. "Who said anything about leaving with you? I already told you—this isn't your son. Do you not understand human language?"

"Ivy, stop messing around. There's no way I'm letting a Graves grow up outside the family. Why didn't you tell me sooner? How could you let our boy attend a school so old and crowded? What decent education can our boy here?"

I looked at the kindergarten, then at Stellan. This was a state-level affiliated kindergarten. From here, he could feed straight into top-tier elementary, middle, and high schools.

Clearly, Stellan had no clue what that kind of placement meant. His so-called aristocratic schools, full of trust fund babies killing time, couldn't even compare!

I'd specifically asked my husband to transfer our son here because I didn't want him picking up the arrogance and entitlement those trust fund babies were known for. I never imagined Stellan would look down on it like this. It only made me more grateful that I hadn't married such a shallow man back then.

"Stay away from us," I said coldly. "This has nothing to do with you."

"If he's not my son, then whose is he?" Stellan grabbed the teacher's arm. "You tell me—who's listed as the father in the child's records?"

Their Version of the Truth

Because I didn't want to expose our identities, the father's name was never filled on Ollie's kindergarten records. So the teachers had never known who his father was.

The moment Stellan heard that the father's column was empty, his certainty only deepened. "Ivy, you've had it hard all these years raising a child alone. You've been stubborn long enough. Come home with me."

Ollie didn't understand what we were arguing about. He only leaned close to my ear and whispered softly, "Mommy, are we not eating fries anymore?"

As if he'd heard something unforgivable, Stellan exploded. "Ivy Stein, how could you let my son eat that kind of junk? You used to love those cheap street foods, and now you're dragging my son along to eat filthy food like that too?! What if something happens to him? Can you take responsibility for that? He's my family's sole heir!"

I couldn't believe him. Since when did having the nanny make fresh fries at home for my baby count as unhygienic now?!

I ignored Stellan completely and carried my son toward my car. But Stellan stepped in front of the door. "Don't put my son in your beat-up car. Don't make him suffer."

To avoid drawing attention, I'd deliberately chosen an unremarkable car. It wasn't flashy, but the entire back seat had been modified for Ollie's safety and comfort.

If Stellan had bothered to glance inside even once, he would've seen that I did have a child—and that I'd protected him well. But the entire time, he'd never cared about anything related to me and only pointed smugly at his Mercedes-Benz. "Only I can give you the best life."

Just then, Amelia walked over in a formal evening dress, completely out of place amid the noisy street. Even she lifted her heels slightly in distaste and frowned. "Stellan, didn't you go to pick Ivy up? Why are you still here? After this, you're supposed to come with me to meet the mysterious Mr. Calloway, who just took over the family business."

The moment Stellan saw her, his expression softened. "I remember, Amelia. Don't worry. I won't forget your things. Something came up with Ivy, and I need to sort it out first. I'll go with you to meet Beckett Calloway in a bit.

"You're so beautiful; he'll definitely like you and make you his missus. The Calloways are the most powerful family in all of Northbank—far stronger than my family. You'll surely have your happily ever after, Amelia. I'll be quick. Just wait for me, okay?"

Their conversation stumped me for a moment. 'Are they saying what I think they're saying? Lane's fine with Stellan reuniting with his ex, and he's helping her find her next husband? And most importantly, the Beckett Calloway in their conversation… My husband, Beckett Calloway?'

I gazed grimly at Amelia. 'This woman brings me nothing but trouble.'

"What can I say—I'm irresistible," Amelia said smugly. Then, she turned and saw me holding a child, and her voice shot up in shock. "Ivy, who's this?!"

Stellan panicked and rushed to explain. "He's my son, Amelia. Hear me out."

Amelia clutched her chest as if she'd been dealt a devastating blow. "Stellan, you had a child with her behind my back? You could've chosen not to marry me back then—why betray me like this? You refused to touch me all these years—is it because of her and that child?"

Seeing her in distress, Stellan hurried to comfort her. "Amelia, it's not what you think. This was before we got married. She was so done with being poor and didn't want to lose me that she got pregnant, using it to tie me down. I only found out today. Amelia, don't stoop to her level, okay?"

Amelia pointed at me with trembling rage. "Ivy, how can you be so shameless? I can't believe you secretly gave birth to Stellan's son! Do you have any sense of decency at all?"

My son didn't understand what she was saying, only that she was attacking me. He immediately pointed at her nose with his tiny finger and shouted angrily, "You bad woman! Why are you scolding my mommy? You're a meanie!"

Amelia raised her hand to strike him. I instantly turned sideways with Ollie in one arm and caught her wrist with the other.

When the Crowd Turned Against Me

"I dare you to lay a hand on my son!"

Stellan grabbed my arm. "Ivy, let go of Amelia. She didn't mean it. If anything, this is on you—you kept the child from me all these years. Otherwise, Amelia wouldn't be this upset."

I didn't care what Stellan said about me, but I would never allow them to lay a finger on my son. I released Amelia's wrist and, with even greater force, slapped Stellan hard across the face. "Keep your woman in line. If she as much as lays a finger on my boy, I'll make her pay."

"How dare you hit Stellan?!" Amelia shrieked. "Do you have any idea who he is now? He's the general manager of his family's business. He can crush you without lifting a finger. Don't think having his son makes you special—the Graves family will never accept you. Even if I leave, you'll never be the next Mrs. Graves."

I snorted. That kind of title only mattered to Amelia. "Mrs. Graves? Please—only a dog would want it."

"You… You're insulting me?!" Amelia clung to Stellan's arm, her gaze turning vicious as it slid toward my son. "Stellan, look at her. What kind of upbringing could a child get staying with her? You need to take him back and raise him properly."

Stellan frowned at me. "Amelia's right. Hand the child over. I can give him the best life."

"Over my dead body."

Seeing the two of them about to forcefully grab him, I turned and ran straight back into the kindergarten with my son in my arms. As I ran, I pulled out my phone and called Beckett. "Beckett! Someone's trying to take our son. I'm at the kindergarten entrance—come now. Immediately."

Stellan chased after me. "Ivy, he's my son too. He has to return to the family!"

A crowd quickly gathered around the kindergarten entrance, people pointing and whispering.

"Isn't that Mr. Graves?"

"Of Graves Inc.? That woman beside him is his wife, right? I've seen her in the news."

"No wonder we never see Ollie's dad—turns out he's an illegitimate child."

"He already has a wife, and this woman still throws herself at him—how shameless!"

"To have someone's kid attending the same school as ours is just embarrassing."

"You can say that again. Imagine if she corrupts our children! Teachers, expel them. Our kids can't go to school with people like this."

As more and more voices shouted for us to be expelled, I raised my voice at the crowd. "He's not Graves' son! I have nothing to do with him anymore. He's trying to steal my son right now. Please help me. If you don't believe me, I can call the police and let them judge for themselves."

"Hmph! She just wants to cling to Stellan through the child! Now that her plan failed, she's panicking," Amelia sneered. "Stellan is only trying to take back his son. Filing a false police report carries consequences."

Hearing that, the people who'd been about to call the police quietly lowered their phones. Seeing no other choice, I tried to call myself—but Stellan reached out and tried to snatch my son away.

In the chaos, my phone fell to the ground. I clutched my child tightly. Amelia stomped on the phone, shattering it, then swung her handbag hard against my head. A sharp pain exploded behind my eyes.

At the last moment, I curled up around my child in the corner, my head ringing so violently I couldn't move for a long while.

"Help…" I cried weakly.

Stellan frowned in disgust. "Amelia's bag is empty. How much could that possibly hurt? Stop pretending. There are so many people watching—aren't you embarrassed?"

My head spun so badly I could barely think. I wanted to argue, but no words came out. I knew perfectly well there had been something heavy and hard inside Amelia's bag. But all I could do was grip the nearby railing with one hand and shield my son with my body.

Through the dizziness, I finally heard a familiar voice break through the noise.

"Ivy, Ollie—I'm here!"