I Only Look Ahead, Not Back

I let out a long sigh.

So, that was it. In Angelica's mind, I simply wasn't worthy of meeting anyone better. That was why she had left without a second thought back then and now returned with such confidence.

The traffic light turned green.

I pressed the accelerator. Once we passed the intersection, I said softly, "Angelica, I'm not joking. I'm married and have a son now. Once we park, please leave. I don't want you disrupting my life."

Angelica frowned slightly. "Devon, do you really think you can fool me? I know you're upset, so go ahead and throw whatever tantrum you want. I'll be right here with you, until you've had enough and come back to me."

Since there was no getting through to her with words, I decided to let her see the truth with her own eyes and crush her hopes once and for all.

Tommy stretched out his arms and ran toward me with a sweet smile.

"Daddy, why are you so late today?"

"I stopped by the old cottage to pick up some things," I said. "Sorry to keep you waiting. How about I make it up to you with some fries later?"

"Okay!" Tommy replied, hugging me happily.

Angelica clearly hadn't expected me to actually return with a child. Her expression changed instantly.

"Devon, there should be a limit to your jokes. You can't just drag around someone else's kid like this. This is child abduction. Do you know you could go to jail for this? Hurry up and take him back."

She angrily grabbed Tommy's arm, trying to lead him away.

I quickly slapped her hand away and scooped Tommy into my arms. "What do you think you're doing?"

The preschool teacher, Marissa Lopez, spotted us and walked over.

"Oh, are you Tommy's mom? We've always seen his dad but never met you. Glad to finally put a face to the name."

Angelica stared at me in disbelief. "He's really your son?"

"Of course he is." I was about to walk away with Tommy in my arms when she blocked my path.

"How old is Tommy?" she asked, her eyes fixed intently on Ms. Lopez.

"He's three this year."

Three years old?

Angelica stared at Tommy, who stood a head taller than the kids around him. Suddenly, her hands shot out and gripped my arm tightly.

"Devon, he's not really three years old, is he? He should be four. Our baby that was born prematurely back then—he didn't die, did he? You hid him from me all this time, didn't you?"

I looked at her calmly. "If that baby had survived back then, would you have refused to marry Jeffrey?"

"I…" Angelica faltered, then lowered her head and frowned. "If Jeffrey couldn't marry me, he would have killed himself."

I let out a cold laugh. "You have no right to bring up our child ever again."

"Devon, I'll take you and Tommy home right now," she said. "My parents have always wanted a grandchild. If you bring Tommy back with you, they'll surely overlook our different backgrounds."

I rolled my eyes so hard I was practically looking at my own brain. "Who said I was going back with you? I told you, he's not your son. Can't you get that through your thick skull?"

"Enough, Devon. I can't just stand by and watch my family's bloodline be raised outside our home. Why didn't you tell me sooner? How could you send our child to a school like this? How can he grow up properly in such a cramped, run-down place?"

I glanced at the preschool, then back at Angelica.

This was a top-ranked preschool, the kind that fed into the best K-12 schools in the state. Did Angelica even get how much that mattered? Her so-called elite school, where everyone just coasted through, didn't even come close to them.

I specifically had my wife, Vera Lambert, transfer Tommy here. I didn't want him to pick up the arrogant, entitled habits of those kids from wealthy families.

It never crossed my mind that Angelica would look down on this place so much. Honestly, it made me all the more grateful that I hadn't married someone with such narrow-minded views.

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

"Who else could he be if not my son?" Angelica pulled Ms. Lopez aside. "Tell me, whose name is listed as the mother in Tommy's records?"

Since we didn't want our identities exposed, we had left the mother's information blank in the preschool's records. As a result, Ms. Lopez genuinely had no idea who Tommy's mother was.