Right after I got pregnant by accident, all three of my friends-with-benefits coworkers dumped me.

"You're just a girl from an ordinary family. My parents would never accept you. Stop clinging to me."

"Babe, my first love is back in the country. I can't keep playing this game with you anymore. It's over."

"Take your dirty money and get the hell out of my life!"

I didn't tell any of them. I slipped away to Europe and had the baby in secret.

But the moment I disappeared, all three of them lost it:

[You heartless woman.]

[Anna, pulling the vanishing act again? Playing hard to get much?]

[Baby, forget about her. I don't want my childhood sweetheart anymore. Just come back, please?]

Before the arranged marriage, my parents warned me to cut off any messy relationships.

I was just about to send the breakup texts when all three of them beat me to it.

On the same night, in bed.

Ryan dropped every ounce of his usual cool, pinning me against the headboard and going harder than he ever had before.

"One last time. Forget about me. My fiancée can never find out about this."

Janus, silver-framed glasses still on, counted every glance I'd ever stolen at another man and punished me for each one.

"Anna, she's back. Don't come looking for me at my place anymore."

And then there was the last one.

Adam was tied to the head of the bed, jaw clenched, swallowing his pride through gritted teeth.

"Anna, consider the money I owe you paid in full. After tonight, stop bothering me."

One wild night, and I could barely walk the next morning.

My parents asked, "All cleaned up?"

I nodded.

They gave me a thumbs-up.

I was the eldest daughter of the Vance family.

The arranged marriage was with the young heir of the city's biggest corporation.

Word in our circle was that this guy was a cold, untouchable type — never seen at clubs, never spotted with a woman, and he supposedly despised women with a messy romantic history.

Well, that was awkward. I didn't exactly have a romantic history — more like a sexual one. Romance? Total blank page.

I was about to ask for my future husband's name when a sharp pain tore through my stomach.

Could it be that I went too hard last night and actually broke something?

My parents rushed me to the hospital. But instead of an injury report, the doctor handed us an ultrasound.

The doctor gave me a stern look. "Miss, you didn't know you were pregnant? And you've been drinking?"

My parents smacked their foreheads in unison and turned to stare at me, slow and accusatory.

I scratched my cheek, cringing. "Sorry. Purely accidental."

The arranged marriage was called off.

To protect my reputation, my parents told everyone I was going abroad to study. I flew to California, had the baby, and named him Noah.

Having a kid changes you overnight, I swear.

I looked at the little guy bobbing his head around, eyes squeezed shut, making a wish.

"I wish to stay with Mommy forever."

My heart melted.

But everyone kept saying a child without a father would grow up missing something. And it was true — Noah had always been timid, rarely smiled.

So I tested the waters.

"Noah, what if Mommy found you a daddy someday? How would you feel about that?"

His face went cold instantly, and those bright little eyes turned dark.

"No. I only want Mommy."

A chill ran through me. I pulled him into my arms immediately.

A few days ago, my parents called. They wanted me to bring Noah home.

I figured we'd been hiding out long enough. Time to go back and let Noah feel his grandparents' love.

But the second we landed, I spotted a familiar figure outside the airport.

Adam leaned against a Bentley, looking effortlessly smug, the corner of his mouth curled up.

Then he noticed the child holding my hand, and his face went ice-cold.

I sat in the back seat. Neither of us said a word the whole ride.

My mom had mentioned that Adam had already built a solid position within our family's company.

That surprised me.

After all, when he dumped me, he'd been pretty adamant: "You're nothing but a spoiled princess with a pretty face. Don't let me see you again."

Now he was in a tailored suit, sharp and distant — a completely different person from the boy he'd been five years ago, when he was still on my sponsorship, a college freshman, clean-cut and naive as they come.

Adam lost both his parents young. His grandparents raised him on government assistance.

If my dad hadn't dragged me along to a charity event in his hometown when I was in eighth grade, our paths would never have crossed.

He stood out from the crowd — tall, straight-backed, with a tiny beauty mark at the corner of his eye.

My heart was pounding.

When I found out he was struggling financially but dreaming of Harvard, I decided to sponsor him.

At that point, I genuinely had no ulterior motives.

But then again, he was nineteen — young, energetic, and painfully innocent. Every time he saw me, his eyes would crinkle into a smile.

"Good morning!"

"Have you had breakfast? I packed extra — want to share?"

"You really need to stop drinking so much. It's bad for you."

That bright, earnest voice calling out to me every day — something snapped, and I kissed him.

Then, on impulse, I half-dragged him to a hotel, pushed him down, and kissed the corner of his mouth.

Adam's eyes welled up. He clenched his jaw and bit out, "Anna, if I'd known you were this kind of person, I never would've touched your money."

But his body was honest. He leaned in and deepened the kiss.

I'd always loved that beauty mark by his eye, and it was still magnetic. Noah had one in the exact same spot.

Couldn't be that much of a coincidence, right?

The silence in the car was getting awkward. I broke it with something random.

"You've changed a lot."

In the rearview mirror, his eyes flicked to me — cold, dismissive — and he scoffed.

"You haven't changed at all."

Then his gaze dropped to Noah, lingering on those features that looked so much like mine. His knuckles went white on the steering wheel.

"Even got yourself a kid. Impressive, Anna."

I could hear the edge in his voice.

Noah shrank into my arms, his soft little voice trembling. "Mommy, why is that man looking at me so mean?"

Maybe he disliked me, so he didn't like Noah either.

I smiled and smoothed it over. "He's not, sweetheart. That's just his face."

Adam stiffened. Coughed twice.

Noah whispered, "Good thing Mommy doesn't like him. Being with someone that scary would be miserable."

Before I could react, the brakes screeched and I threw my arms around Noah as we lurched forward.

Once the car steadied, I lit into Adam. "Adam, what the hell? You could've killed us!"

He shot Noah a wounded look.

Noah burrowed deeper into my arms.

I got it then. Adam had always been proud to a fault, and getting roasted by a five-year-old probably stung.

After all, he was the one who'd dumped me.

"You actually take a kid's words seriously? How childish."

I tapped Noah's head gently. "And you — don't talk to strangers like that. Got it?"

Noah pouted but nodded.

Meanwhile, Adam was staring at me with reddened eyes, looking exactly like he had the first time I'd pinned him down — hurt and indignant.

What now? What did I do this time?

We got home.

Adam carried in my luggage.

My parents greeted him warmly. "Adam, what's wrong? You look awful."

I nearly choked on my drink.

Since when were they this close?

Noah piped up from behind me. "Mommy says he's mean and scary. He's probably just been dumped!"

Adam froze mid-step, luggage still in hand, wearing that wounded puppy look again.

This kid's mouth was absolutely savage, as if I wasn't embarrassed enough already. What if this guy turned out to be his actual father?

I could only smile through the pain.

Adam insisted on cooking dinner himself.

In an apron, he actually looked domestic — husband material, almost.

Back in the day, I practically had to beg on my hands and knees before he'd grudgingly make me a bowl of noodles.

And every time we were together, I'd just lie there enjoying myself while he did all the work until my back ached.

I'd never once said anything nice about it.

Then I tried to make up for it with money.

No wonder he used to hate me.

During dinner, Noah kept running his mouth, and Adam kept white-knuckling his fork.

The whole meal was a minefield.

Then Mom, with zero filter, brought up my so-called fiancé.

"Anna, after you bailed on the engagement, that guy never found anyone else. Maybe he's waiting for you. Want me to put in a word?"

I was about to shut it down when Adam slammed his fork on the table.

"I'm done. Something came up at the office. Thanks for dinner."

As he passed me, his eyes were pure ice.

Goosebumps everywhere.

He still hated me, obviously.

That night, I was putting Noah to bed. He clutched my fingers and wouldn't let go.

"Mommy, please don't find me a daddy. I just want you."

I pinched his cheek. "Who said anything about finding you a daddy?"

Noah pulled the blanket up to his chin, pouting. "So you don't like that Adam, right?"

I froze, almost laughing.

"Of course not. Just friends."