Award-winning actress Jennifer Shaw was convinced I had deliberately tipped off the paparazzi about our relationship, hoping to use the exposure to pressure her into marriage.

She grabbed my chin and splashed scalding water across my face.

"You're no different from all those men clawing their way to the top.

"You want fame? Fine. I'll make you famous. Famous enough that you won't dare show your face again."

Within days, I was blacklisted online. With a burned face and a crippled right hand, I was thrown out of her villa on a night of pouring rain.

That same evening, she walked the red carpet arm in arm with a rising young star, soaking in the thunderous applause.

I dragged my suitcase down the deserted road and disappeared into the rain.

Four years later, we crossed paths again on a parenting reality show.

She watched as I stepped onto the stage as an ordinary guest, a little girl beside me who openly rolled her eyes at her.

Her eyes reddened as she moved to block my way.

"Where did you get that child?" she demanded. "What are you trying to do?"

The studio felt like a freezer, the air conditioning on full blast.

I zipped up Noelle's jacket as she buzzed with excitement. Her cheeks were rosy with anticipation. I let out a resigned sigh.

"Daddy, is that the Super Babies Dash Forward track? It looks super easy!"

Noelle pointed at the stage's centerpiece, her eyes alight with the thrill of the challenge.

I tousled her hair gently. "Noelle, let's make a deal. Once we're done here, we'll head straight home. Your mom's waiting for us to have dinner."

I would not have dreamed of entering that world if Noelle had not been glued to the TV, watching the show's trailer. She begged to take part, right after we had landed and were still shaking off the jet lag.

Especially since it meant running into the last person I wanted to see.

I had heard Jennifer Shaw had become a celebrated actress, her trophy shelf heavy with awards, her calendar booked solid. A family variety show like that should not have been on her radar.

However, then the host's voice boomed, saying, "Let's welcome our Special Observer, Jennifer Shaw."

My hands froze as I adjusted Noelle's collar.

Jennifer ascended on the platform, stunning in a wine-red gown, her presence commanding, her red lips a bold statement. The audience's screams threatened to tear the roof off.

Instinctively, I lowered my cap, hoping to blend in with the crowd of non-celebrity guests.

I was there for my daughter, nothing more. I wanted to stay under the radar and get through the recording; that was the plan.

However, Jennifer's gaze cut through the sea of faces, zeroing in on me with laser precision. I saw the shock ripple through her, quickly replaced by a look I knew all too well, one of contempt and derision.

"It's been a while, Cedric."

She blatantly disregarded the host, who was mid-speech, grabbed a mic, and called out to me from across the stage.

Her voice boomed through the speakers, dripping with condescension.

I inhaled deeply, stood tall, and met her gaze with calm resolve.

"Ms. Shaw, you've got the wrong guy."

Jennifer scoffed and said, "Wrong? Cedric, I'd know your phony, pretentious act anywhere, even if you were turned into ashes."

She strutted toward me in her towering heels, her commanding aura making the crowd shrink back.

"You promised to vanish when I kicked you out of the villa. So, what happened?"

She stopped in front of me, looking down as if I were nothing but trash.

"Now, here you are with some kid from who knows where, crashing the variety show I'm on. Who's this little act for?"

Her arrogance was so absurd that it made me laugh, though I was seething inside.

I was the longest-standing man in her life, and I really thought we would make it.

However, every time I brought up going public, she would brush it off, saying, "Why mess with my career when my love for you is steady? Isn't it better for a man to support from the shadows?"

Then, our private photos suddenly leaked online.

Her fanboys tore me apart online, and her admirers set me up.

She convinced herself I was the leaker, hungry for fame and trying to trap her into marriage.

The memory of the scalding water on my face that night still stung. However, what hurt more was my right hand, scarred and useless for the piano after the burn.

"Jennifer."

I faced her, my voice steady, free from the old days of yielding. "I've lost all interest in you. I'm here for one reason: to have fun with my daughter."

Jennifer's laughter was sharp, her eyes locking onto Noelle with disbelief.

"You're not interested in me, Cedric? Do you even believe that when you say it?

"The moment I laid eyes on this kid, I couldn't shake the feeling...those features, they're eerily familiar.

"I've had my assistant dig up your info. The kid's four, and her last name is Shaw.

"Cedric, you're quite the strategist. Adopting a kid who looks like mine just to shake me down? Or did you stoop even lower and steal my DNA?

"You're parading her around to corner me, to make me give you legitimacy, to force me to recognize you, just like you did four years ago."

Snap!

The sound was sharp and sudden.

It was not me who acted; it was Noelle.

The little tyke, yogurt still in hand and not yet finished, landed a perfect hit on Jennifer's pricey dress hem.

"Mean lady! Your breath stinks! You're grossing out my dad!"

Noelle planted herself in front of me, tiny but standing tall, her eyes blazing with the same fierce light that Melanie had when she was mad.

The room erupted into chaos.

The recording halted.

I shielded Noelle as we were briskly escorted by Jennifer's assistant to a secluded lounge backstage.

Jennifer glared at the yogurt stain on her dress, her face stormy.

"Cedric, what a fine daughter you've raised."

She slammed the tissue into the bin and closed in on me, pinning me between the vanity and her anger.

"Four years ago, you were desperate enough to tip off the tabloids to force a wedding. Now, you're coaching a wild child to humiliate me in front of everyone. Your schemes have sunk to new lows."

I stepped in front of Noelle, shielding her, and fixed Jennifer with an icy stare.

"Jennifer, it's high time you got help for your paranoia. I've never leaked any secrets, and I'm not here to rehash old grudges. If I'd known you were on this show, I wouldn't have bothered showing up."

"You wouldn't have come?" She tried to grab my chin, but I knocked her hand aside.

She paused, taken aback, then let out a scornful laugh. "Playing the saint, are we? You think it's a walk in the park for a nobody to get on this kind of show? You must've jumped through hoops to confront me, huh?"

Her eyes roamed my face, finally resting on the barely-there scar on my right cheek: the one she gave me with a scalding cup of water years ago.

Despite Melanie bringing in top-notch doctors, the scar still showed under certain lights.

Jennifer's gaze wavered, betraying a flicker of unease, but she quickly masked it with a steely veneer.

"Back with that scar to play the victim? Cedric, let me clue you in: the audience isn't into that sob story anymore."

I stepped back, putting space between us.

"Ms. Shaw, you gave me this scar. It's a daily reminder of how blind I was. And the reason I'm on the show..." I paused, a sardonic grin spreading across my face.

"It's because my wife's company is the show's top sponsor."

Jennifer was speechless.

The air hung heavy for a few seconds.

Then, she erupted into a grating laugh, her body quivering with mockery.

"The show's top sponsor? Everyone knows the Shaw Group runs the show.

"In the end, it all boils down to ambition, doesn't it? What's the matter? Done with playing the devoted lover? Now, you're just a kept man, huh?

"Cedric, you're shameless! Claiming I'm your wife when I've never agreed to such a thing?"

Noelle's face flushed with anger, and she was about to let loose a torrent of words.

I held back my daughter, my gaze turning to ice.

"Jennifer, if you won't believe us, there's nothing left to discuss. Come on, Noelle, we're leaving."

I took Noelle by the hand and headed for the door.

However, Jennifer blocked our exit, one hand on the door and the other propped against my side, trapping us in her power play.

"Leaving? Not until you've explained yourself."

She looked down, her presence suffocating.

I could only look at her and feel sorry for the woman she had become.

At that moment, someone knocked on the lounge door from outside.

"Jennifer, are you there? The director's on our case."

I knew that voice instantly; it was Elliot Baker, the man who had set me up four years ago.

Jennifer inhaled deeply, steadied her emotions, and opened the door.

Elliot stood there in a flashy pink designer suit, makeup perfect, and clutched his mouth in mock surprise at the sight of me.

"Oh, my! If it isn't Cedric! And is this...Jennifer's kid?"

Jennifer gave an icy snort and casually slung her arm around Elliot's waist.

"Why bother talking to him? A man like that would do anything for a spot in the limelight."

She looked down at me with disdain, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Cedric, how about this? I'll give you a shot. Leave the kid here, and get a DNA test done. If she's really mine, or if you've somehow swiped my genes...

"I'll make sure she lives in the lap of luxury for the rest of her days. And you? You'll get enough cash to live comfortably for the rest of your life.

"After that, you can beat it. And I mean get out of my sight for good."

She lunged for Noelle as she spoke.

Her audacity floored me. I scooped Noelle up in my arms and shoved her hand away, sending her stumbling.

"Jennifer, you won't lay a finger on my daughter! Don't you dare judge us with your dirty mind!"

"Looks like you're choosing the hard way."

Her gaze turned icy. "Well, brace yourself. In this business, I can make or break anyone I choose."

With that, she strutted off, Elliot in tow.

Elliot glanced back, his eyes throwing daggers and smugness.

As the door slammed shut, Noelle gripped my neck tighter. "Daddy, is that mean lady crazy?"

I stroked my daughter's back, inhaled deeply, and quelled the fire in my chest.

Noelle's tiny hand caressed my face, her eyes filled with worry.

"Daddy, don't be scared. If that mean lady comes back, I'll get Mommy to set her straight! I'll protect you, Daddy!"

Her sweet support lifted my spirits, and I planted a kiss on her forehead. "No, my dear Noelle; it's my job to protect you."

...

It did not take long for Jennifer to flex her muscles.

I was locked in the green room, and within half an hour, even though the show had not picked back up, the internet was ablaze.

[#AverageJoeGuestAccusedOfRisingToFameBySecretChild]

[#ActressShawCaughtInMarriageTrapRumor]

Photos of me pinned against the wall by Jennifer right outside the lounge started circulating online, each accompanied by captions that twisted the story.

Rumors spread that I had somehow snatched Jennifer's DNA to create a surrogate baby, all to extort her and secure a cushy life by marrying into her wealthy family through my daughter.

Meanwhile, my phone would not stop buzzing with a barrage of hateful texts from numbers I did not recognize.

One of Jennifer's overzealous fans even snuck backstage and hurled a water bottle at the lounge window with a thud.

Noelle, my little girl, jumped at the sound, trembling as she huddled close to me.

Holding her shivering form, I felt my patience snap.

'I'm not one to stir up drama, but I'm certainly not scared of it. Jennifer, if you want to force my hand, then don't expect any kindness from me,' I thought.

I grabbed my phone and hit the number I had saved at the top of my contacts.