A Stranger on Her Stage

Her arrogance was so absurd that it made me laugh, though I was seething inside.

I was the longest-standing man in her life, and I really thought we would make it.

However, every time I brought up going public, she would brush it off, saying, "Why mess with my career when my love for you is steady? Isn't it better for a man to support from the shadows?"

Then, our private photos suddenly leaked online.

Her fanboys tore me apart online, and her admirers set me up.

She convinced herself I was the leaker, hungry for fame and trying to trap her into marriage.

The memory of the scalding water on my face that night still stung. However, what hurt more was my right hand, scarred and useless for the piano after the burn.

"Jennifer."

I faced her, my voice steady, free from the old days of yielding. "I've lost all interest in you. I'm here for one reason: to have fun with my daughter."

Jennifer's laughter was sharp, her eyes locking onto Noelle with disbelief.

"You're not interested in me, Cedric? Do you even believe that when you say it?

"The moment I laid eyes on this kid, I couldn't shake the feeling...those features, they're eerily familiar.

"I've had my assistant dig up your info. The kid's four, and her last name is Shaw.

"Cedric, you're quite the strategist. Adopting a kid who looks like mine just to shake me down? Or did you stoop even lower and steal my DNA?

"You're parading her around to corner me, to make me give you legitimacy, to force me to recognize you, just like you did four years ago."

Snap!

The sound was sharp and sudden.

It was not me who acted; it was Noelle.

The little tyke, yogurt still in hand and not yet finished, landed a perfect hit on Jennifer's pricey dress hem.

"Mean lady! Your breath stinks! You're grossing out my dad!"

Noelle planted herself in front of me, tiny but standing tall, her eyes blazing with the same fierce light that Melanie had when she was mad.

The room erupted into chaos.

The recording halted.

I shielded Noelle as we were briskly escorted by Jennifer's assistant to a secluded lounge backstage.

Jennifer glared at the yogurt stain on her dress, her face stormy.

"Cedric, what a fine daughter you've raised."

She slammed the tissue into the bin and closed in on me, pinning me between the vanity and her anger.

"Four years ago, you were desperate enough to tip off the tabloids to force a wedding. Now, you're coaching a wild child to humiliate me in front of everyone. Your schemes have sunk to new lows."

I stepped in front of Noelle, shielding her, and fixed Jennifer with an icy stare.

"Jennifer, it's high time you got help for your paranoia. I've never leaked any secrets, and I'm not here to rehash old grudges. If I'd known you were on this show, I wouldn't have bothered showing up."

"You wouldn't have come?" She tried to grab my chin, but I knocked her hand aside.

She paused, taken aback, then let out a scornful laugh. "Playing the saint, are we? You think it's a walk in the park for a nobody to get on this kind of show? You must've jumped through hoops to confront me, huh?"

Her eyes roamed my face, finally resting on the barely-there scar on my right cheek: the one she gave me with a scalding cup of water years ago.

Despite Melanie bringing in top-notch doctors, the scar still showed under certain lights.

Jennifer's gaze wavered, betraying a flicker of unease, but she quickly masked it with a steely veneer.

"Back with that scar to play the victim? Cedric, let me clue you in: the audience isn't into that sob story anymore."

I stepped back, putting space between us.

"Ms. Shaw, you gave me this scar. It's a daily reminder of how blind I was. And the reason I'm on the show..." I paused, a sardonic grin spreading across my face.

"It's because my wife's company is the show's top sponsor."