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!"