Arthur Sterling wanted to divorce me for his delicate, white-lotus first love. Even our child had taken a special liking to her. When I heard him carefully call that woman "Mom," my heart went completely cold, and I signed the divorce papers. Years later, I returned to the country for a gathering. A strange young boy timidly called me "Mom." My daughter asked curiously, "Is he Evelyn's big brother?" I shook my head. "Mom only has one child in this life, and that's Evelyn." 1 Everyone was thrilled to see the little blonde girl by my side. Madison nudged me with her elbow. "Where'd you kidnap her from? She's so cute." Someone chimed in, "Yeah, seriously. Chloe, I didn't expect you to become a human trafficker after a few years abroad." I unceremoniously flicked them both on the forehead. "What kind of nonsense is that? This is my daughter." I squatted down. "Don't we look alike?" Evelyn played along, obediently pressing her little cheek against mine. The private room instantly went dead silent. I knew this news was a bit too shocking for them. My marriage to Arthur had only ended a few years ago. And my intense, high-profile pursuit of him back in the day was something everyone here had witnessed; many had even helped me strategize. I had kept my life abroad very private, so they all assumed I was still single. Or at least, not married with a kid. Madison looked like she wanted to swear, but seeing Evelyn, she swallowed the words. She turned around and made a phone call. "Yeah, tell the guys they don't need to come over. Tonight's not the right vibe." I held back a laugh, looking at my old friends. "What? Are married women not welcome here?" My friends recovered from their shock and bombarded me with questions: "Who'd you marry? Is he handsome?" "Chloe, how could you snag a hot foreign guy and not tell us?!" "What's your name, little one? Want Auntie to play with you?" "Hannah, stop talking in that gross baby voice." "Screw off, leave me alone." ... I rubbed my temples helplessly. A decade later, and they were still just as noisy. Thankfully, Evelyn wasn't shy. She happily played with my old friends. Madison pulled me aside for a drink. "Are you really over Arthur?" I smiled, showing her the ring on my finger. "What do you think?" She smacked her forehead. "Right, stupid question." "Arthur was so dead-set on marrying that fragile little flower back then. Now he's regretting it." I raised an eyebrow. "He regrets it?" I hadn't kept tabs on them since I went abroad, but Arthur regretting it was genuinely surprising. He loved Lily Evans to death back then. He was willing to fight the whole world to marry her. Madison nodded. "The white lotus is pretty, sure, but being Mrs. Sterling is too much for her to handle." The title of 'Mrs. Sterling' didn't just mean being Arthur's wife; it carried significant responsibilities. "The Sterling family has a massive empire. It's not easy to manage," I said. "You have no idea. When the white lotus first married Arthur, she couldn't do anything right. She messed everything up. Arthur was patient at first, but patience doesn't equal time. Eventually, he just got sick of it. Men, right? Typical." Madison's tone dripped with sarcasm. She never liked Arthur to begin with. Ever since she took over her family's business, she had cut off many of their partnerships with the Sterlings. In her eyes, a man who couldn't keep his personal life straight couldn't possibly run a corporation well. Madison waved her hand. "Whatever, let's not talk about that dog." Just as she finished speaking, the door to the private room suddenly opened. A strange boy, looking to be around ten or eleven, walked in. Madison looked toward the door impatiently. "Who's that?" "Whose kid is lost?" The boy scanned the crowd frantically before his eyes locked onto me. Those beautiful eyes gave me a strange sense of familiarity. Someone in the crowd murmured, "Isn't that Arthur's oldest son?" Madison reacted faster than I did. "Oh, it's Chloe's kid! Arthur... Arthur what again?" A friend reminded her, "Arthur James Sterling." Evelyn, who was playing happily, seemed to sense something. She looked left and right, her big eyes darting around. The boy walked toward me and called out timidly, "Mom." 2 That single word, "Mom," pulled me back several years. When Arthur brought up divorce, he didn't give a reason. Madison did some digging for me and uncovered his first love, Lily Evans. I took the evidence and confronted Arthur. During the argument, a truth accidentally slipped out of him: "Yes, I love Lily! Even if I have a child with you, that child must carry the mark of her existence!" Only then did it all make sense. No wonder when we were naming our son, Arthur insisted on changing "Julian" to "James." He said he hoped our son would be "Just," noble, and righteous. But it wasn't about justice. It was an anagram. "James" was for J-A-M-E-S. Just Always Miss Evans Secretly. Unlike what Madison and the others thought, from that day forward, my feelings for Arthur died completely. I loved Arthur, yes, but not enough to lose myself. I loved him, but I loved my dignity more. However, our marriage involved too many people. Just separating the assets took a massive amount of time. Arthur cheated first; I had to make sure I got the larger share. Back then, my biggest concern was my son, James. But from the very beginning, he didn't want to leave with me. Maybe it was pity from above that made me suddenly stubborn, wanting to persuade James, wanting to fight for full custody. If it hadn't been for that stubbornness, I never would have discovered that my dear son had already accepted Lily as his mother. If I hadn't discovered that, I wouldn't have left so cleanly, and I wouldn't have started my new life so easily. After I confronted Arthur, he immediately moved Lily into our house under the guise of being James's private tutor. Surprisingly, James adored 'Ms. Lily' and defended her at every turn. I heard him praise Ms. Lily more than once, saying she was gentle and pretty, understanding, considerate, and kind. But James was just a little kid back then. I thought Arthur had hidden the affair well, so I didn't overthink it. Until I heard it with my own ears. He carefully asked Lily, "Ms. Lily, can I call you Mom?" After getting a yes, he happily called her "Mom" several times. He added, "Ms. Lily needs to become my new mom quickly. I hate my mom right now. I hope she and Dad get divorced soon." Lily asked him why. "Because Mom won't let me eat candy." Lily sounded surprised. "Just because of that?" "Yes." James's decisive answer completely shattered me. I thought about a lot of things. I thought about my parenting style. I thought about my past. In the end, I signed the divorce papers without any lingering attachments and left the country. 3 Seeing that I wasn't responding, James called out again, "Mom." His eyes were red, and he looked incredibly pitiful. Evelyn suddenly threw herself into my arms. She stared at him with wide, curious eyes and asked, "Is he Evelyn's big brother?" James froze, then quickly shifted his gaze back to me, his face filled with unconcealed hope. I smiled gently at Evelyn and shook my head. "Mom only has one child in this life, and that's Evelyn." "This brother is... the son of a friend of Mom's. But of course, you can call him 'brother'." Half-understanding, Evelyn reached out a hand to James. "Hi brother, I'm Evelyn." But James just stood there, frozen, ignoring her. Evelyn awkwardly pulled her hand back and rubbed her little nose. "Mom, why does he look like he just got struck by lightning?" I chuckled and rubbed her head. "Go play with your aunts and uncles." "Okay!" The little girl ran off, cheering happily. James looked at me pitifully. "Mom, do you not want James anymore?" His tone was exactly the same as when he was a toddler, seemingly trying to awaken my maternal instincts. I smiled faintly. "You have your own mom." James grew a bit agitated. "She's not my mom." "Why not?" He looked down and didn't answer. I didn't bother pressing him. My tone was gentle but distant: "James, you were the one who didn't want me first." James looked up, his eyes incredibly complex. It was the first time I had ever seen that look in his eyes. It wasn't a look a boy his age should have. James lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry, Mom." He found a corner to sit in by himself and didn't bother me again. Madison sneered. "And here I thought the kid loved his fragile little stepmom." "What do you mean?" I asked. "When the white lotus first got married, a lot of people looked down on her. Your son defended her everywhere, treating her like royalty. Didn't you always say he was a good kid? So good he actually got into fights defending the white lotus." "Raising a son is worse than raising a dog." I smiled and took a sip of my drink. Madison didn't say anything else, just drank with me. After so many years, seeing the son I barely recognized, it would be a lie to say I felt absolutely nothing. But our mother-son bond was thin, and this was James's own choice. Besides, too many years had passed. The emotion faded as quickly as it came. When the party ended, James was still sitting there, refusing to leave. I tried to call his dad, but realized I had deleted the number. I tried to call his mom, but realized I never had her number to begin with. Madison boldly patted her chest. "Let me handle it." She picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts for a long time. "...He blocked me." Evelyn was getting sleepy. She yawned. "Mom, let's just leave him here, he won't die. I want to go home and sleep." Madison laughed. "Your kid is fierce." I picked Evelyn up. "Takes after her dad." Thankfully, a friend who had forgotten something came back and made the call for us. "James is currently at..." "No time? What should we do?" "Okay, I'll have Chloe call him a cab." "Yeah, she flew back today." "Oh? Suddenly you have time?" 4 By the time Arthur arrived, Evelyn had fallen fast asleep. She was nestled in my arms, her little cheeks flushed. "Chloe. It's been a long time." Arthur didn't look much different from before. He was always handsome, and even time seemed to have treated him kindly. His dark eyes were deep, unreadable. I replied softly, "Long time no see." Madison gestured toward James with her chin. "Mr. Sterling, hurry up and take your son home. He's been refusing to leave." James sat in silence, making no move to get up. I don't know if I imagined it, but he seemed to exchange a look with Arthur. I turned to Madison. "Let's go. It won't be good if Evelyn wakes up." Just as I stood up to leave, Arthur suddenly called out, "Chloe, have you been well lately?" I frowned. "Keep your voice down." Evelyn stirred in my arms, a bit restless. Arthur lowered his voice, making forced conversation. "Whose child is this? She's beautiful." His words praised Evelyn, but his eyes were fixed on me. "Mine." I had only been holding her for a little while, but my arms were already getting sore. Kids really do grow fast. Arthur's smile froze. "What?" He stared blankly at Evelyn for a long time, then smiled again. "She's adopted, right?" I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Biological." Evelyn looked so much like me, a perfect copy of my excellent genes. She obviously looked like my biological daughter. Adopted? You're the one who's adopted! Madison sensed my annoyance. She stepped between Arthur and me, separating us. "It's late. Mr. Sterling should take his kid home to sleep." With that, we left. Madison looked back. "That old dog Arthur is still staring at you." "Yeah. I'm staying at your place tonight." "Stay as long as you want. What's mine is yours." "I want the master bedroom." "? Don't push your luck!" "The master bedroom is bigger. I have a kid to raise. Do you have a kid to raise?" "Hmph. You win."
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