Chapter 4Daddy, Gone Viral

The word “one” was still caught in my throat when the director jumped in.

“He’s two and a half, I think. I remember seeing it on the forms.”

I suddenly remembered that when I was job hunting last year, I’d intentionally aged Finn up by a year so potential employers wouldn’t see me as a liability on maternity leave.

But I really didn’t want to get entangled with Aaron again. I had to correct him.

“He’s not two and a half. He’s one and a half.”

The director scratched his head, completely oblivious. “Oh, is that right? My mistake then.”

And just like that, the light that had just begun to dawn in Aaron’s eyes was extinguished, leaving behind the wreckage of a storm.

“…”

“You’re lying to me, aren’t you?” he asked later, during a commercial break.

I tried to keep my distance, busying myself with tidying up and placing a large box between us. But he was tall and imposing, casting a long, dark shadow over me that made the cramped storage room feel even more claustrophobic.

“Why would I lie to you?” I forced a casual smile. “I’m just stating a fact.”

“Besides,” I added, “have you ever seen a two-and-a-half-year-old who can only say ‘mama’? If that were the case, I’d be the one crying my eyes out.”

“But—” Aaron pulled out his phone and showed me the trending topics. The top three were all about him and Finn.

“Then how do you explain this? The internet doesn’t lie! They’re all saying he’s my spitting image. How could he not be my son?”

For a moment, I was tempted to pull out Finn’s birth certificate to prove it. But as my eyes moved away from the screen, I caught sight of his “suggested for you” search history.

【Is it normal for a two-and-a-half-year-old not to be able to talk?】

【Is it possible to be pregnant for a year and a half?】

【What are the chances of getting back together after a brutal breakup?】

What an idiot.

But that was exactly what I’d fallen for—that unguarded, all-in passion.

The problem was, the “me” he had fallen for wasn’t the real me.

Back then, betrayed by both my boyfriend and my own family, I was afraid I was losing my mind. I dropped everything and escaped to a rustic ranch retreat in the countryside. I adopted a new name, a new personality, and surrounded myself with people who knew nothing about my past.

The Leah I was there was sunny, confident, and radiant, capable of creating her own happiness.

The real me was plain, insecure, and timid, constantly plagued by self-doubt.

So, on the train ride back to the city, terrified that Aaron would eventually fall for someone else, I broke up with him over a text message.

Though we had met again by a twist of fate, since he had forgotten, I had no intention of bringing it up.

I curved my stiff lips into what I hoped was a relaxed smile.

“My son doesn’t just look like you.”

I casually let my phone screen light up, showing an incoming call from “Arthur Brown.”

Aaron’s uncle.