Chapter 2

I stared at those words and suddenly started laughing.

I laughed so hard tears nearly sprang to my eyes.

Five years.

It had been five years since Albert and I divorced. In those five years, his family never once checked in on us — never paid a single dime in child support.

Now that Xander had gotten into a good university, now that he'd actually made something of himself, they had the nerve to show up and cause a scene.

I didn't even need to think about it. Mia's hasn't showed any sign of getting pregnant this whole time, and they were getting desperate. They wanted to use this as an opportunity to drag Xander's name through the mud — and mine along with it — so they could either claim Xander for themselves or squeeze some money out of me.

Quite the scheme they had cooked up.

"Laughing? You still have the nerve to laugh?" Yvonne jabbed her finger at my face. "The evidence is right there! You owe the Johnson family an explanation — today!"

Albert cowered behind Yvonne, his eyes darting everywhere but at me.

Mia, on the other hand, was loving every second of it. She let out a cold laugh and said with a sneer, "Yulia, you always acted so high and mighty. Didn't think you had it in you to be this shameless. Passing off some other man's bastard as a Johnson — aren't you afraid karma will catch up with you?"

I ignored her and turned to look at Albert instead.

"Albert, do you think Xander is a bastard too?"

Albert shrank back, stammering. "The test results are right there… Yulia, just… just admit it. Return what our family gave you over the years, and we'll call it even."

"What your family gave me?" I almost laughed at the absurdity of it. "Albert, swear to god — in the five years since our divorce, have you paid Xander a single dime in child support?"

"I…" Albert had nothing to say.

"Don't change the subject!" Yvonne shoved him aside and stepped forward, puffing up like a mother hen shielding her chick. "So what if we didn't pay child support? You had a bastard kid — why should the Johnsons foot that bill? Let me tell you something, Yulia. If you don't compensate us for the emotional damage you've caused this family, I will make sure you can't show your face in this city. And that little mongrel of yours? He won't even make it to college."

Bastard. Little mongrel. The insults kept rolling out of her mouth.

Xander was shaking with rage, his eyes were blood shot. He stepped forward, ready to confront her.

I grabbed his arm.

"Xander." I patted the back of his hand, my voice was dead calm. "If a dog bites you, you don't bite back. Let me handle this."

I turned back around and looked at Yvonne's face, twisted with fury.

"Yvonne, you just said — black and white, right there on that test — that Xander is not Albert's son."

"That's right!"

"You're correct."

Dead silence fell over the room.

Everyone stared at me, wide-eyed, unable to believe what they'd just heard.

Even Yvonne froze, clearly not expecting me to admit it so willingly.

"He is not Albert's son." I said it slowly, one word at a time.

A wave of gasps rippled through the crowd.

Someone pulled out their phone and started recording.

Mia grinned with delight and pointed her phone straight at me. "Did everyone hear that? She admitted it herself! This is big news!"

Yvonne snapped out of her daze and turned even more vicious. "Well, well! So you finally admit it, you shameless woman! You—"

"But—"

I cut her off.

I reached into my bag and pulled out a worn kraft paper envelope from the innermost pocket.

The envelope was old, its corners frayed and torn.

"Yvonne, do you want to know why Xander isn't Albert's son?"

I fixed my gaze on her, eyes sharp as a blade.

Yvonne shifted uncomfortably under my stare and took an involuntary step back.

"Why… why? Isn't it obvious? You were sleeping around!"

I let out a cold laugh and, right in front of everyone, untied the string on the envelope.