Chapter 4

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Marcus’s smile froze on his face.

The plump kid ignored his parents’ attempts to quiet him, standing up:

“A few days ago, Lily showed me your picture and said you were her dad.”

Instantly, everyone’s eyes widened.

The plump kid’s parents quickly clapped their hands over his mouth, forced a dry laugh, and said their child was thoughtless.

The principal stepped in to smooth things over:

“Are Lily and Leo perhaps siblings?”

Marcus was about to say yes.

Leo suddenly shouted in dissatisfaction.

“No! That selfish brat and I are not siblings! Dad is mine, she’s stealing my dad!”

As soon as these words came out, the hall erupted.

Whispers and discussions rose one after another.

“What’s going on? Is Lily’s mom the other woman?”

“How awful, he’s actually leading a double life…”

I dreaded to think what would happen if Lily heard this?

Luckily, Lily wasn’t here.

Marcus suddenly waved at Maya and Leo, signaling them to come over.

Maya brought Leo onto the stage.

The three of them stood together.

Looking every bit like a real family.

Marcus put on an expression of deep remorse.

“Teachers, parents, this matter… I feel somewhat ashamed to speak of it.”

“Scarlett and I, Lily’s mother, actually divorced a long time ago. For our daughter’s sake, we just kept up appearances, living under the same roof.”

I sat in the crowd, my knuckles whitening as I clenched my fists.

Marcus wrapped a sympathetic arm around Maya.

“And Maya was my sweetheart from my youth.”

As he spoke, their eyes met, sparking with emotion.

If I wasn't directly involved, I might even be rooting for them.

At this, Marcus spoke with a slight catch in his throat.

“Back then, when I went away to study, she stayed home and helped me take care of my parents. I’ve always been so grateful to her.”

“It was only later, when I got the scholarship to study abroad, that I lost contact with her. I thought she had long since married someone else.”

“But it wasn’t until half a year ago that I found out she had been waiting for me all this time, never marrying, and even had a son.”

Maya remained silent, simply shedding tears.

The murmurs around me gradually shifted in tone.

“So that’s how it is, then. That’s really tough for you two.”

“Marcus didn’t do anything wrong, did he? If he’s already divorced from Lily’s mom, then there’s nothing wrong with rekindling an old flame with his first love.”

Maya, sensing the moment, teared up even more, her voice choked.

“Marcus, don’t say anymore. If Leo hadn’t gotten sick, I wouldn’t have come to bother you all.”

“As a woman, I understand other women. Scarlett, even if you’re divorced, wouldn’t want me to be too close to you. She’ll blame me…”

She spoke with such apparent restraint.

Leo, somewhat understanding, shouted at Marcus.

“Dad, don’t be with that wicked woman anymore! She secretly cursed Mom the other day, saying we were poor relatives trying to freeload.”

“Leo, don’t talk nonsense!” Maya frantically tried to pull Leo.

But her actions only made everyone else misunderstand me further.

Marcus’s heart ached for her.

He repeatedly promised that he wouldn't let Maya and Leo suffer any more grievances.

I watched this perfectly synchronized act of “star-crossed lovers” on stage, my stomach churned.

Marcus, back then, had never mentioned Maya in order to marry me.

Now that he was successful, he suddenly remembered his ‘true love’?

A parent whispered.

“Lily’s mom always seems so overbearing. I can’t believe she’s so excessive she even tries to control her ex-husband? Utterly out of line.”

“Right? They’re just rekindling an old flame, and he didn’t even cheat while married. Why is she meddling?”

Just then, my phone received a message from my lawyer.

[It’s all handled. Don’t worry, Marcus's illegal transfer of assets has been frozen, and your divorce petition…]

I smiled and switched off my phone.

Marcus was working on a huge project right now, planning to invest hundreds of millions into it.

If the funds were frozen, the project couldn’t proceed.

The show was about to begin.

Amidst the clamor of voices, I took out the miniature megaphone I had prepared.

“How is it that I didn’t know I was divorced?”