Chapter 2

Julian and I met in high school and started dating in college.

During my sophomore year, I got pregnant with Kaylee by accident.

The second he found out, he proposed. We threw together a small, private wedding ceremony.

Throughout my pregnancy, his devotion made me believe we had a golden future ahead.

When I was wheeled out of the delivery room, he cried harder than I did.

He held me tight, murmuring against my ear:

"Thank you, Elena. I love you. I love you so damn much."

"I promise I will take care of you and our daughter for the rest of my life."

My heart had melted completely. His warmth seemed to erase every bit of pain from the labor.

After Kaylee was born, he worked harder than ever. He took extra roles, ran errands on sets, did anything that paid.

He said he had to hide our relationship because his career was taking off. I supported him completely. He said he had to play up PR romances with his co-stars. I never made a scene.

I gave up my dreams of professional dancing and settled down as a preschool teacher.

My life became a blur of grocery shopping, cooking, and taking care of our child.

But none of it mattered, because I believed he loved me.

Slowly, the starving actor became an A-list star.

Our apartment turned into a sprawling penthouse, and his visits home grew rarer and rarer.

Julian used to tell me: "I love you, so I'll take on whatever it takes."

That single sentence had made me forgive countless lonely nights.

Did he say that to other women, too?

Was our love ever real?

If he truly loved me, how could he turn me into a mistress?

"Elena, I don't love her. You're the only one I love..."

I choked back a sob. "So that's why you never signed the marriage license with me? Because she's your legal wife?"

I stared straight into his eyes, a desperate, pathetic part of me still begging for a different answer.

"Serena is the studio head's daughter! Without her, I wouldn't be where I am today! And without me, you wouldn't have this luxury life!"

"Life is about compromises! Things were so hard for me back then—you of all people should understand that!"

Julian started yelling, losing his temper. Standing there, he looked completely like a stranger.

I grabbed whatever was on the table and hurled it at him.

How dared he say that to my face?!

"You disgust me! How did I never see what kind of monster you are?! You promised you would take care of us!"

A bitter look crossed Julian's eyes. He sighed, softening his tone:

"You two don't have to cross paths. She's only in the city for a few months. After that, you'll be on opposite sides of the country. Neither of you will ever bother the other."

I stared at him in horror, my mind spinning through fifteen years of memories. "Have you lost your mind?! Do you have a shred of conscience left?!"

"You want me to keep being your dirty secret? Have you thought about Kaylee for one second?!"

"How is she supposed to face the world? You want her to grow up carrying the label of a bastard child?!"

He went silent, effectively confirming it.

A fifteen-year relationship. I thought I knew him better than anyone. Now I realized I didn't know him at all.

Tears streamed down my face as I slumped onto the floor. "I'm taking our daughter. We are done."

"Forget it. I won't let you see Kaylee again. Cool off and think about what you're throwing away!"

I couldn't believe those words came out of his mouth.

I had sacrificed everything for him for over a decade, and now my daughter was being used as leverage to blackmail me.

I bolted out the door. Breathing the same air as him was suffocating me.

The moment I was outside, I raced to pick up Kaylee from school.

"Miss Vance? Kaylee's father already picked her up an hour ago. Didn't your husband tell you?"

I tried video calling Kaylee's phone. Every single call was declined.

My hands shook so hard I could barely hold my phone. Julian had actually gone through with it.