Cyrus fell silent.

Just then, his phone rang. He glanced at the screen but did not answer.

Soon after, my own phone rang. It was a call from an unknown number. When I answered the call, Paige's weak voice came through the line.

"Hello, Ms. Lightwood. It's Paige. I know you're with Cyrus right now. May I speak to you, just for a moment?"

I turned on the speaker and placed my phone on the table.

Paige's voice carried a sob, but it wasn't shrill. Instead, she sounded pitiful.

"Ms. Lightwood, this is all my fault. I was incapable and unable to support Caleb on my own, so I shamelessly came back and begged Cyrus for help.

"Cyrus is a good man. He just felt sorry for Caleb. Please don't blame him. If you can't stand the sight of us, I'll take Caleb and leave right now. Even if we die out there, I won't cause trouble for the two of you ever again."

Suddenly, the sound of a child coughing came through the phone, followed by Paige's flustered attempts to soothe him.

Cyrus' expression immediately changed. He snatched my phone and shouted into it, "Paige, is Caleb having another attack? Don't move him around. His medicine is in the cabinet! I'll be back right away!"

After hanging up, Cyrus looked at me anxiously, his eyes filled with desperation.

"Melanie, Caleb's asthma is acting up. It could be life-threatening. I have to go over. We can talk about everything else after I get home, okay?"

I looked at the man before me. One moment he was apologizing to me, and the next, the moment something happened over on Paige's end, all his attention went to her again.

I knew him too well. Paige didn't need to make a scene or flaunt her presence in front of me. All she had to do was show her vulnerability, and Cyrus would be completely under her control.

I leaned back in my chair, my expression cool and detached.

"Go ahead, Cyrus. But once you walk out that door, we're really done."

Cyrus froze. He struggled for a moment and looked at me, then finally forced through gritted teeth, "Melanie, this is a matter of life and death. I can't just ignore it."

With that, he turned and left without looking back.

I watched his retreating figure, then picked up the cold cup of coffee in front of me and drank it in one go. Bitterness spread across my tongue.

I picked up my phone and called Geoffrey.

"Grandpa, I'm in Ludonia. I'd like to meet you."

Then, I went straight to Parker Corporation's branch office in Ludonia.

Geoffrey was inspecting the operations when I arrived, and he didn't seem surprised to see me. He dismissed everyone else, leaving only the two of us in the office.

"Mel, why do you look so pale?" Geoffrey asked, holding a cup of coffee as he studied me shrewdly.

I got straight to the point.

"You knew, didn't you? Paige has been back for three years, living in an apartment owned by Parker Corp., and spending Cyrus' money. With your eyes and ears all over the company, you can't possibly be unaware."

Geoffrey, who was sipping on his coffee, paused and let out a sigh. "Cyrus was muddle-headed, and he's soft-hearted."

He set his coffee mug down and continued, "I remember that child. Although he's illegitimate, he still carries the Parker blood. It's only natural for Cyrus to look after him given how sickly he is."

I scoffed. "Only natural? Then what was the point of the agreement Cyrus and I signed? Was it just a worthless piece of paper?"

Geoffrey's tone sharpened. "Mel! You are the lady of the Parker family. You need to look at the bigger picture. As long as that woman doesn't enter the household and threaten your position, what harm is there in leaving a little dignity for Cyrus in public? Besides…"

He paused, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over my flat stomach.

"It's been five years, and you still haven't shown any signs of getting pregnant. The Parker family's vast legacy needs an heir. Cyrus securing a bloodline outside is also for the family's sake."

A chill ran through me. In their eyes, my inability to conceive was a sin. Cyrus cheating on me was because he was soft-hearted, his having a bastard child was him securing an heir, and my anger was simply a lack of perspective.

"And what if I say I want a divorce?" I stared fixedly at Geoffrey.

His expression clouded over, and he slammed his mug down on the table.

"What utter nonsense! Do you think divorce is child's play? Parker Corp.'s current stock price can't withstand the turmoil. The half of the company shares we promised you are the family's guarantee to you, but they are also a restraint.

"Do you think you can just walk away with the Parker family's money? Dream on!"

Geoffrey narrowed his eyes.

I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. In this wealthy family, there was no warmth, only cold calculations of interest.

Just then, someone knocked on the office door. Geoffrey's secretary entered with an uneasy look on her face.

"Mr. Parker Senior, Mr. Parker is here, and he's brought the child with him."

Moments later, Cyrus walked in. He carried Caleb in his arms, with Paige following behind timidly.

Cyrus didn't even dare to look at me. Instead, he carried Caleb straight to Geoffrey. "Grandpa, Caleb heard that you were here and insisted on coming to see you."

Although Caleb looked pale, he greeted Geoffrey politely, "Hello, Great-grandpa."

Geoffrey's previously stern expression instantly softened, and he reached out to pat Caleb's head. "What a well-behaved boy."

Paige, who stood in the corner, stole a glance at me. Her eyes didn't match her fragile appearance; instead, they held a trace of smugness.

As long as Geoffrey acknowledged Caleb as his great-grandson, even if Paige wasn't accepted, she would still be regarded as someone who had made a great contribution to the family. And I would eventually be swept out the door.

There was an increase in confidence in Cyrus' gaze when he looked at me.

"Melanie, since Grandpa has spoken, can't you just accept it for the sake of the family?"

I could no longer hold back the nausea I felt. Covering my mouth, I rushed to the restroom and threw up until I felt the world around me spin.

When I returned, Paige suddenly dropped to her knees before me, tears streaming down her face.

"Ms. Lightwood, I know I shouldn't have come back, but Caleb needs a heart surgery. The best specialist in the country is right here in Ludonia. I only returned to save my son's life!"

She looked up, the picture of fragile distress.

"As soon as Caleb gets a successful surgery, I'll take him away immediately. I won't stay around and get in your way. Ms. Lightwood, you're a woman and you once had a child, too. Please, won't you show a little mercy, as one mother to another?"

Paige was right. I once had a child too, though I hadn't been able to carry it to term.

However, I couldn't bring myself to sympathize with Paige. At the end of the day, she was still the third party who had intruded into my relationship with Cyrus.

"Melanie, Caleb's surgery is scheduled for next week," Cyrus said before clenching his jaw. "But the surgery and the follow-up treatments will cost a fortune. The company's liquid funds are all tied up in your new project..."

I looked up at him. "So?"

Cyrus avoided my gaze. "I want to temporarily put your project on hold and reallocate the funds for Caleb's treatment. This is a matter of life and death."

That project was one I had poured my heart into. I'd spent three months burning the midnight oil to secure a new market for Parker Corp.

I trembled with rage.

"Cyrus, do you have any idea what suspending that project means? It means tens of millions in initial investment going down the drain!"

"I can always earn more money, but I can't just watch my son die!" Cyrus roared.

"Enough!"

My vision went black, and a heavy weight seemed to crush my chest. A wave of nausea and dizziness, stronger than ever before, washed over me. Clutching my chest, my legs gave way and I collapsed.

…

When I woke up, I was in a hospital room. Cyrus sat by the bed, clutching a piece of paper, his expression blank.

Seeing me stir, he jolted to his feet. He leaned in, his voice urgent. "Melanie, you're awake! Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? Your stomach… Does your stomach hurt?"

I frowned and shook his hand off. "Cyrus, what act are you putting on now?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he just silently handed me the paper he held in his hand.

I took it and had a look. What I saw shocked me so much that I froze.

"Intrauterine early pregnancy, six weeks."

Cyrus' eyes were red-rimmed, and he choked up as he said, "The doctor said that your body is too weak. The previous miscarriage damaged your health, so this pregnancy is a fragile one.

"Just now, when you got overly emotional, there were already signs of a threatened miscarriage. You need strict bed rest, and you absolutely can't get stressed out anymore. It's a miracle, Melanie. This is a miracle from heaven."

He got so worked up he wanted to hug me, but he didn't dare touch me. "Grandpa will be overjoyed to hear this!"

Watching his ecstatic reaction, I felt nothing but biting irony. "You're happy about this, Cyrus?"

I stared at him coldly.

"Of course I am! This is our child!"

I caressed my stomach and fixed an icy gaze on him. "But I'm not happy, and I don't want this child."

I pointed toward the door. "Rather than have him be born to a father who's biased and have an illegitimate older brother who might come back anytime to fight for the inheritance, it's better to abort him now."

"No!" Cyrus shouted hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot. "This is my child! What right do you have to abort it? I won't allow it!"

I smiled bitterly. "You won't allow it? Cyrus, this child is inside my body. I decide whether it stays or goes. If you want me to keep it, fine."

I sat up straight, my gaze sharp. "Then choose. Either send Paige and that boy abroad again, forbid them from ever coming back or contacting us for the rest of their lives, or I'll walk into the operating room right now and end this pregnancy."