Chapter 4

“Julian, my little Lily~”

Serena’s voice pulled me back to the present.

She was wearing elaborate makeup and high heels, stopping beside Julian.

“What did the doctor say?”

“Surgery is scheduled for next month.”

Serena breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. “You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get an appointment with Dr. Asher! Now our little Lily will have…”

She suddenly paused, as if just noticing me, and exclaimed in surprise:

“Scarlett?”

Before I could speak, she continued, “Did you come back because you knew Lily was sick? Well, you are Lily’s birth mother, after all.”

After she spoke, I heard Julian say coldly, “Birth mother? Does she even deserve that title?”

I froze, instinctively looking at the child in his arms.

But I saw in her eyes a look of disappointment and sadness that I dared not face.

In that moment, my chest felt like a handful of shattered glass had been kneaded into it, the dense, throbbing pain instantly spreading to my limbs.

Julian had initially agreed to let me take the child.

But he changed his mind.

I questioned why he went back on his word.

The man lounged on the sofa, his long legs casually stretched out:

“Serena is afraid of ruining her figure and doesn’t want to have children.”

I was furious. “That’s *my* child!”

“She’s my child too. Don’t worry, Serena will treat her like her own.”

I disagreed, but he used all sorts of tactics to pressure me.

No matter what he said, I wouldn't budge.

Finally, he looked at me with cold eyes. “Scarlett, don’t forget how your adoptive parents got their jobs.”

At that moment, I suddenly understood that I had no power to fight against him.

During the standoff, Serena tugged on Julian’s sleeve, trying to smooth things over:

“How about we all have dinner together? We can catch up. Julian, what do you say?”

Julian glanced at me, his eyes indifferent. “I don’t make a habit of catching up with ex-wives.”

He turned and strode away.

Serena chased him for a few steps, then turned back.

“You’re not back to snatch Lily from me, are you?”

“No. I’m back to get married.”

She gasped briefly. “You’re getting married?”

Her shock was understandable.

Julian and I had been divorced for two years, and they still hadn’t registered their marriage or held a wedding.

And I was once again ahead of her.

But she unusually breathed a sigh of relief. “Congratulations! Have you set a date?”

“The eighth of next month.”

She hesitated for a moment, then asked, “You haven’t told our parents about this, have you? Why don’t you ask for their opinion?”

“We’ll see.”

However, that evening, I received a call from my parents, asking me to come home.

The moment I walked in, Brenda’s face was drawn as she demanded:

“Why are you back? Didn’t you act so tough when you left, saying you’d never return?”

“And who are you marrying? What’s his family like? Does he know you’ve been married and have a child?”