Chapter 3

Lily POV

Held back by Rachel, Sebastian ultimately didn't chase after me.

It wasn't until evening that he returned to Maple Bridge Villa.

Knowing he could no longer hide the truth about Rachel, he gave a brief, glossed-over confession about the fact that Rachel had actually been in the area all these years.

I listened quietly without asking a single question.

My silence made Sebastian uneasy. "Lily, I know I didn't handle this well. I apologize, but the child is innocent."

The child?

Just as I thought Sebastian had discovered my unfortunate miscarriage.

I heard him continue in a grave tone, "I know you can't accept Rachel's existence, but she's pregnant with my child now. If you agree to let her have the baby, I'll send her away afterward no matter what."

My heart trembled. I looked at him sharply. "Rachel is pregnant with your child?"

Sebastian's expression was complex. "Just today. We just found out."

It was like cold water dumped over my head. My whole body went cold from the inside out.

"Lily, you know I love children, but after all these years together, we still don't have a child of our own."

"So what? Because you love children, you want Rachel to have your baby?"

"I've thought it through. Once this child is born, you can raise it as our child together."

He wanted me to raise the child he had with another woman?

I stared at him in disbelief, finding it utterly absurd.

He didn't know that just yesterday, we had also had a child.

But that child that belonged to us had become nothing but dead blood because of his betrayal.

And now he wanted me to accept the bastard born by the woman who killed my child?

I asked incredulously, "What about Rachel then?"

"After she gives birth, I'll give her money to leave. She'll never appear in our world again."

But three years ago, he'd said the same thing to me.

By now, I didn't know which of his words were true and which were lies.

Sebastian said seriously, "As long as you agree to let her have this child, I'll compensate you. You can have anything you want."

It seemed he really wanted to keep this child.

Even if I refused, he'd probably hide Rachel and let her have the baby anyway, just like three years ago, right?

I smiled, though my eyes reddened.

I nodded. "Okay, I agree to let her have this child."

Seeming surprised I'd agreed so readily, Sebastian's eyes first flashed with astonishment, then he hugged me joyfully and kissed my cheek.

"Darling, you're always so wonderful."

Hearing those words only filled me with irony.

I pushed him away and retrieved a document from the nightstand drawer, flipping to the signature page and handing it to him.

"I want this. Sign it."

"What is it?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but his phone rang at that moment.

From the corner of my eye, I saw it was Rachel calling.

Sebastian hesitated for two seconds before answering. "What is it?"

"Sebastian, the baby's making my stomach uncomfortable. Can you come keep me company?"

"Alright, I know."

After hanging up, Sebastian picked up a pen and signed his name on the document I'd handed him without even looking at it.

"If you want something in the future, just use the card I gave you. You don't need to specifically find me to sign for things."

After signing, Sebastian handed the document back to me.

Finally, he placed a light kiss on my forehead. "I have something to take care of. I won't be back tonight. Get some rest early."

I said nothing, silently putting the document away.

Sebastian picked up his car keys and walked to the bedroom door. He suddenly seemed to remember something.

Turning back, he asked with concern, "By the way, what were you doing at the hospital? You haven't looked well all day."

I smiled without revealing anything. "I wasn't feeling well, but it's nothing serious. The doctor said I'll be fine after resting for a couple days."

"That's good. Tell me right away if you're not feeling well. Don't suffer alone, or I'll worry."

Worry.

Hearing those two words, I just wanted to laugh.

He didn't know we'd already had a child.

He didn't know that when we ran into each other at the hospital today, it was during my follow-up after my miscarriage.

He didn't know even more that the document he'd just signed was our divorce agreement.

Soon, I would leave him forever.