The day Payton threw a check in my face, I had just found out I was six weeks pregnant. He sneered at me, his arm wrapped around his sweetheart. “Don’t try to manipulate me with some bastard child.” I smiled and said okay. He didn’t know the child was Dr. Julian’s, the man he looked down on the most. He also didn’t know that the divorce agreement he’d just signed didn’t include a settlement fee, but evidence that would destroy his reputation. Now he’s on his knees in the rain, begging me to come back. I touched my belly and looked at my husband beside me. “Honey, who is this guy?” Senna POV At the end of the private hospital corridor, the wind cut through me like ice. I had just tucked the ultrasound report marked “intrauterine early pregnancy” into my bag when I looked up and met a pair of cold, dark eyes. Payton. A man of overwhelming power and influence. Also the man who had kept me for seven years. Standing beside him was Vivian Shaw. The woman he could never forget. The woman whose return from abroad meant I-the “replacement”-had to pack up and leave immediately. Vivian wore an haute couture snow-white coat. The crocodile leather bag in her hand was worth more than all the “selling price” I’d collected over the past seven years. She leaned against Payton’s side like a delicate vine that needed careful tending. “Senna?” Vivian spoke first, her voice timid, though her eyes concealed daggers. “What a coincidence! Why are you at the OB-GYN? Are you not feeling well?” Payton said nothing. He held an unlit cigarette between his fingers, his narrow eyes slightly narrowed as his gaze swept over my hand instinctively protecting my abdomen like an X-ray. I knew that look too well. Scrutiny, amusement, and condescending contempt from someone high above. “Hand it over.” Payton extended his hand, his voice cold. I gripped my bag strap tightly, trying to keep my voice steady. “Mr. Barrett, that’s my privacy.” “Privacy?” Payton let out a scornful laugh and stepped closer. The oppressive presence of someone used to power instantly enveloped me, making it hard to breathe. “Senna, after being with me for seven years, when have you ever had privacy? Has that ten million dollar settlement made you forget what you really are?” He had no patience and gave a look to the bodyguard behind him. The bodyguard immediately stepped forward and, ignoring my struggle, forcibly grabbed my bag and dumped all the documents inside onto the floor. The ultrasound report fluttered down beside Payton’s polished shoes. He bent down to pick it up. “Six weeks pregnant.” When Payton read those words, his tone was terrifyingly calm, but I saw his fingertips turn white as he gripped the paper. “This timing…” Vivian covered her mouth, looking at Payton with feigned surprise. “Payton, it’s only been three months since Senna left you. This child, could it possibly be yours?” She paused, her eyes immediately reddening, looking like she’d suffered a terrible grievance but was forcing herself to be magnanimous. “If it’s yours, then let’s bring Miss Senna back. After all, it’s a life. I don’t mind…” “Who said I’m taking her back?” Payton coldly interrupted her, his dark eyes fixed deadly on me, with incomprehensible violence churning in their depths. “Senna, you’ve got some nerve.” He threw the report in my face. The sharp edge of the paper sliced across my cheek, stinging painfully. “What did I tell you when we broke up? Take the money, get lost, and don’t get any ideas you shouldn’t have. You think you can force my hand with some bastard child? Look at yourself-do you even deserve it!” Bastard child. Those words were like two nails driven hard into my eardrums. Five years ago, I’d been pregnant once before. Back then, I was so happy and wanted to tell him. What I got in return was his cold “get rid of it.” That’s when I understood-a replacement didn’t deserve to have a child. But I wasn’t the timid Senna from five years ago anymore. I bent down to pick up the report, dusted it off, and raised my eyes to meet his chilling gaze. “Mr. Barrett, you’ve misunderstood.” I curved my lips slightly. “This child has absolutely nothing to do with you.” “It’s my husband’s.”
Senna POV Hearing the word “husband,” a crack finally appeared in Payton’s perpetually icy expression. But he quickly recovered that nauseating arrogance. “Husband?” Payton acted like he’d heard the joke of the year. His tongue pressed against his palate as he let out an extremely contemptuous snort. “Senna, you’ve only been away from me for three months and you’re already this desperate to sell yourself? Who’s blind enough to marry you? Or is this another pathetic lie you’ve made up to raise your value?” In his eyes, I was probably always that gold-digger who would do anything for money, who couldn’t survive without him. “That’s none of Mr. Barrett’s concern.” I didn’t want to keep tangling with him and turned to leave. “Stop.” Payton grabbed my wrist, his grip so strong it felt like he might crush my bones. He yanked me back hard, pressing me against the cold wall, his breath carrying a faint smell of tobacco and biting cold. “Six weeks.” He ground his teeth as he counted the days. “That would be the week before we broke up. I was on a business trip that week, and the night I got back… do you want me to help you remember how many times we did it?” “I don’t believe it’s such a coincidence that you could get pregnant with someone else’s child right after.” I endured the severe pain in my wrist, took a deep breath, and met his sinister gaze. “After that night, I took pills.” Payton’s pupils contracted sharply. “Double dosage. Within 24 hours afterward.” I looked into his eyes, enunciating each word. “Because I knew Mr. Barrett hates trouble most of all, and hates illegitimate children even more. How would I dare leave you with that kind of leverage?” “This child was conceived after I left you, with my current husband. We’re very much in love, and our family planning has gone smoothly.” Payton’s expression visibly darkened, black as the sea before a storm. Seeing this, Vivian immediately came over and tugged at Payton’s sleeve, softly persuading him. “Payton, there are too many people here… Since Miss Senna has said this, maybe it’s true? She has a new life now. We should bless her…” “Bless her?” Payton laughed coldly and shook off Vivian’s hand, his gaze still locked deadly on me. “In this circle, who doesn’t know that Senna is Payton Barrett’s castoff? Who would dare marry her? Senna, do you think I’m dead?” He pulled out his phone and directly called his assistant Jake. “Contact the best paternity testing center. Clear it out in half an hour. I want a paternity test.” After hanging up, he looked down at me like a judge pronouncing a death sentence. “Want to prove your innocence? Then let the evidence speak. If the child isn’t mine, I’ll give you another ten million. Roll away to wherever you want. But if it is…” He paused, his eyes becoming extremely dangerous. “Senna, I’ll make you understand the consequences of deceiving me. The child gets aborted, and that so-called ‘husband’ of yours-I’ll make him disappear from this city completely.” I looked at this man I had loved for seven years, and the last bit of warmth remaining in my heart turned completely cold. “Fine.” I agreed readily. “But Mr. Barrett, I hope you keep your word. If it’s proven the child isn’t yours, please never, ever appear in front of me again.” The moment I finished speaking, a clear, gentle yet firm voice suddenly cut through the tense atmosphere. “No need to wait. You can leave right now.” A warm, broad palm wrapped around my shoulder, rescuing me from Payton’s oppression and protecting me behind him. I looked up to see Julian wearing a white coat with a stethoscope hanging from his chest, looking directly at Payton. “Mr. Barrett, threatening a pregnant woman-is this your idea of manners?”
Senna POV Payton clearly hadn’t expected an actual “husband” to appear. He squinted and sized up Julian from head to toe. Julian was extremely handsome-clean and gentle-looking, completely different from Payton’s sharp, aggressive appearance. Standing there, he was like a pool of water that could embrace everything. “A doctor?” Payton glanced at the name on Julian’s ID badge. “Julian? This is the man you found? Doesn’t look like much. Does his monthly salary even cover one of your bags?” This kind of humiliation came easily to Payton. But Julian wasn’t provoked. He just held my trembling hand tightly, his palm’s warmth flowing steadily. “I certainly don’t earn as much as Mr. Barrett.” Julian smiled faintly, his tone neither servile nor overbearing. “But every penny I earn is clean, and I give it all to Senna. Most importantly, I know how to respect people.” “Respect?” Payton acted like he’d heard a joke, his eyes sweeping over me with contempt. “Ask her. During those seven years with me, did she want respect or money?” I felt Julian’s grip on my hand tighten. “What Senna wanted is in the past.” Julian turned sideways, blocking Payton’s view. “Now, she’s my wife and the mother of my child. Since Mr. Barrett wants a test, then let’s test. We’re not afraid.” The testing center. The atmosphere was oppressively suffocating. Vivian sat on the sofa in the waiting area, holding a cup of hot coffee, her eyes darting back and forth between Julian and me. “Dr. Julian is truly magnanimous.” She took a sip of coffee and sighed as if casually. “Miss Senna made quite a name for herself at the Nightfall club. After being with Payton for so many years… most men would find it hard to accept, wouldn’t they?” She was exposing my past. Years ago, to pay off debts, I had indeed worked as a server at a club. That’s where I met Payton. I felt Julian’s body stiffen slightly. Just as I was about to argue, Julian took the cold water cup from my hand and replaced it with his thermos. “Everyone has a past.” Julian didn’t even give Vivian a glance, just lowered his head to unscrew the cap for me. “Before she met me, that was her suffering. After she met me, I only regret I didn’t appear earlier to protect her.” Vivian’s smile froze on her face like a clown who’d swallowed a fly. And in the distance, Payton was playing with an expensive lighter, his expression so dark it seemed ready to drip water. He stared at Julian fixing my hair and feeding me water, the violence in his eyes growing heavier. Three hours. These were probably the longest three hours of Payton’s life. When the testing center door opened and the doctor walked out with the report, Payton almost instantly crushed his cigarette and strode over. He snatched the report, so roughly he tore the corner. I sat in my chair without moving. Julian held my hand, completely steady. Payton stared deadly at the last line of the report. In that moment, I saw his tall frame sway violently. Payton, who made decisive decisions in the business world, now showed an expression resembling “bewildered helplessness.” “How is this possible…” He muttered to himself, his fingers trembling uncontrollably. Vivian leaned over to look and exclaimed. “Paternity excluded? It really isn’t Payton’s?” She turned to look at me, her expression somewhat embarrassed. “Looks like we misunderstood Miss Senna…” Payton suddenly raised his head. Those eyes that were usually full of arrogance were now bloodshot, churning with shock, doubt, and a barely perceptible… panic. “Impossible.” He bit out through clenched teeth, his voice hoarse. “Senna, you bribed the doctor?” “Mr. Barrett.” I stood up and looked at him coldly. “You chose this testing center. It was cleared out just half an hour ago. Do I have the supernatural ability to fake results right under your nose?” “The fact is, this child has nothing to do with you. He’s Julian’s.” I pulled out a bank card from my bag-the “ten million” he’d just mentioned, and the one he’d thrown at me like alms to a beggar on the day we broke up. I walked up to him and gently placed the card on the nearby table. “Here’s your money back. Payton, we’re even.” Walking out of the testing center, the sunlight outside stung my eyes. Payton didn’t chase after me. But I knew he was still inside, staring at that report and losing his mind. Someone as proud and arrogant as him-how could he accept that something he was so certain about had gone wrong? How could he accept that the plaything who, in his view, couldn’t survive without him, had actually started a new life so decisively? “Tired?” Julian opened the car door and protected my head as I got in. “A little.” I leaned back against the seat and let out a long breath. Julian started the car. He didn’t ask about what had just happened, just played a soothing cello piece. “Senna.” After driving for a while, he suddenly spoke. “Mm?” “No matter what he says, don’t take it to heart.” Julian looked straight ahead, his fingers on the steering wheel slender and strong. “You’re wonderful and deserve to be treated well. That child… if he’s a burden to you, we can also…” “No.” I instinctively protected my abdomen and turned to look at him seriously. “Julian, I’m really looking forward to this child. He’s our family.” Julian glanced at me, gentle affection rippling in his eyes. “Alright, then we’ll take good care of him.”
Payton POV Meanwhile, at the testing center. I kicked over the coffee table in front of me. The sound of shattering glass made Vivian scream and shrink into the corner, not daring to speak. “Get out!” I roared. Vivian’s face went deathly pale. She grabbed her bag and fled in panic. In the huge room, only I remained, surrounded by wreckage. I still clutched that report in my hand. “Paternity excluded…” Every word mocked my presumption. I suddenly remembered that night three months ago. Vivian had returned from abroad that day. To welcome her back, I kicked Senna out. What was Senna doing then? She’d been busy in the kitchen all afternoon, making a table full of my favorite dishes. Because it was her birthday. But what did I say when I got home? I said, “Take the money and get lost.” Senna didn’t cry or make a scene. She didn’t even ask “why.” She just quietly went to her room, packed her things, and disappeared into that snowy, windy night. I always thought Senna was pretending. I thought that after a few days, she would come back crying like before, begging me to forgive her, begging me to let her return. After all, she loved me so much-loved me to the point of having no dignity. But now, the report told me that not only had she left, but on that very night, she’d completely severed all possibilities between us. She took pills. Double dosage. How much did she not want to be pregnant with my child? “Mr. Barrett.” Jake pushed the door open timidly. “I just… just checked. That night after Miss Senna left the villa, she did encounter Julian. Julian had just gotten off his night shift and his car had broken down on the roadside. They… should have met then.” “And then?” I was going insane. “Then… a month later, they went to city hall and got married.” I felt like someone had stabbed my heart and was twisting the knife violently. Married? That woman who was as docile as a cat by my side, who said she only wanted to stay with me for the rest of her life, had turned around and married someone else? “Buy that hospital.” I said. “That guy named Julian-I want to make it impossible for him to work.” Jake broke into a cold sweat. “Mr. Barrett, Julian is an expert in the medical field, and… he seems to be the youngest son of the Reed family. He’s just kept a low profile and never joined the family business…” The Reed family. Although not as powerful as the Barrett family, they definitely weren’t people to be trifled with. I suddenly closed my eyes and crumpled the report into a ball. An unprecedented sense of panic swept over me. I seemed to have… really lost Senna.
Senna POV The next two weeks were eerily calm. Payton didn’t appear again. Julian and I began preparing to move. Julian had applied for a transfer to support development in London for three years. The climate there was perfect for pregnancy and would allow me to completely escape the chaos here. The night before the move, Julian went to the hospital to hand over his work. I packed the last of our belongings alone at home. When I opened a drawer, my movements froze. Inside lay a fountain pen. A limited edition Montblanc, with two letters engraved on the cap. This was Payton’s, left here. In the past, when he was in a good mood, he would occasionally stay overnight at my small apartment. He’d used this pen to sign billion-dollar contracts, then casually tossed it aside. I’d treasured it like a precious object. What a pathetic creature I’d been. I laughed self-mockingly, picked up the pen, and threw it into the trash along with all the photos I’d secretly taken of him over the years and the movie ticket stubs I’d saved. The doorbell suddenly rang. Thinking Julian had forgotten his keys, I wiped my hands and went to answer it. “Why are you back so ear-” I opened the door to a wall of alcohol fumes. The man standing outside had his shirt collar wide open, his hair disheveled, his eyes full of bloodshot veins. His whole being radiated decadent madness. Payton. I instinctively tried to close the door. A large hand slammed against the door panel. “Senna.” He called my name, his voice hoarse and thick, with a pleading I’d never heard before. “My stomach hurts.” I froze. For seven years, whenever he complained of a stomachache, I’d drop whatever I was doing. I’d fetch his medicine and brew him honey lemon tea without a second thought. Even in the middle of the night, even when I was running a high fever. “Mr. Barrett has the wrong door.” I said coldly. “If you want tea, find Miss Shaw, or go to a hospital.” “I don’t want hers!” Payton acted like a petulant child, pushing the door open forcefully and squeezing inside. He staggered to the sofa and collapsed heavily, then closed his eyes and whimpered, “I want yours. Only yours works.” Watching this once untouchable man now acting like a mangy dog on my sofa, I felt only absurdity. “Payton, get up.” I walked over and tried to pull him. “This is my home. Please leave! I’m calling the police!” But Payton grabbed my wrist and yanked hard. I cried out and tumbled onto him. He immediately wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his head in my neck, his burning breath spraying on my skin. “Don’t go… Senna, don’t go…” He was trembling. “I know I was wrong.” Payton’s voice was muffled, with a hint of tears. “That paternity report is fake, isn’t it? You’re lying to me, right? There’s no way you could marry someone else… no way you could stop loving me…” “You love me. You love me so much…” He became incoherent, but his grip grew tighter and tighter, as if trying to meld me into his bones. “Let go! Payton, are you insane!” I struggled desperately. My nails scratched his neck, drawing blood. But he acted like he felt no pain. He suddenly flipped over, pinning me on the sofa, staring at me with unfocused yet obsessive eyes. “Abort the child.” He reached out to stroke my face, his tone gentle in a bone-chilling way. “Abort it, and we’ll pretend nothing happened. I’ll marry you, Senna. I’ll make Vivian leave. I’ll make you Mrs. Barrett, okay?” “I was wrong before. I shouldn’t have treated you as a replacement. I just realized now-I can’t live without you…” He moved to kiss me. Disgusting. Overwhelmingly disgusting. I used all my strength and slapped him hard across the face. The slap was crisp and loud, turning Payton’s face to the side. The air fell deathly silent. “Payton, you truly disgust me.” I pointed at the door, trembling, tears streaming down uncontrollably-not from sadness, but from rage and humiliation. “You think everyone covets that Mrs. Barrett position? Too late!!” Payton slowly turned his head. With half his face red and swollen, his eyes gradually became sinister and crazed. “Disgusting?” He laughed coldly-the roar of a cornered beast. “Senna, since you’re so ungrateful, don’t blame me for…” Just then, the door was kicked open. Before Payton could react, a white figure rushed over. Julian’s face was now covered with frost. He grabbed Payton by the collar and punched him hard in the corner of his mouth. “Don’t touch my wife!”
Senna POV Payton had never been hit like this in his life. Julian looked refined and scholarly, but when he fought, he was shockingly brutal. That punch landed squarely on Payton’s cheekbone, splitting his lip and sending blood dripping down his chin onto the beige carpet. “Ugh…” Payton grunted, the alcohol’s numbing effect dispersed somewhat by the intense pain. He struggled to fight back, but his alcohol-weakened body was limp and powerless. Julian pinned him firmly to the ground. “You dare talk about love?” Julian pressed one knee on Payton’s chest, gripping his tie. “Seven years. You treated her like a housekeeper, like a tool for your desires, like Vivian’s substitute. Now that she doesn’t want you, you come pretending to be deeply in love?” “Payton, you don’t love her. You’re just pathetic.” Every word whipped across Payton’s face like a lash. Payton gasped heavily, staring at Julian with sinister eyes, but his lips curved into a bloody smile. “What do you know… I’m Payton Barrett. She’s mine. As long as I want her, she can’t escape…” “Is that so?” Julian laughed coldly and pulled out his phone, taking a picture of Payton’s wretched face. “If this image of Mr. Barrett gets sent to the board of directors or financial media, I wonder how many points the Barrett family’s stock price will drop tomorrow?” Payton’s expression changed instantly. “You wouldn’t dare!” “You can try me.” Julian stood up and methodically straightened his somewhat disheveled cuffs, returning to his refined, elegant demeanor. “Just because I don’t rely on my family doesn’t mean I don’t have family backing. The Reed family may keep a low profile, but destroying one Payton Barrett who only knows how to throw drunken tantrums is well within our capabilities.” Payton’s pupils contracted sharply. “Get out.” Julian pointed at the door, his voice not loud but carrying undeniable authority. “Don’t make me throw you out.” Payton staggered to his feet. He glanced at me, huddled in the corner of the sofa with tear-stained cheeks but resolute eyes. “Senna…” He opened his mouth, his voice hoarse. “You’re just going to watch him treat me like this?” I looked at him coldly. “Mr. Barrett, attempted home invasion and assault. Julian acted in legitimate self-defense. If you still don’t leave, I don’t mind adding another charge.” The last glimmer of light in Payton’s eyes extinguished. He looked at me deeply, that gaze containing too many complex emotions-unwillingness, regret, anger, and a certain shattered despair. Finally, he said nothing. Covering his injured mouth, he staggered out the door. The moment the door closed, all the strength seemed to drain from my body. I collapsed on the sofa. Julian immediately came over and carefully held me in his arms, avoiding my abdomen. “It’s okay, Senna. It’s okay. I’m here.” His embrace was warm, carrying the reassuring scent of disinfectant and mint. I buried myself in his chest and finally let myself cry out loud. That night, we moved out immediately. Actually, there wasn’t much left. We left all the large furniture and only had two suitcases. Julian called a car, and we drove straight to the airport that night and flew to London. As the plane took off, I looked at the brightly lit city below, feeling only relief. Goodbye, Payton. Goodbye to those absurd, humbling seven years.
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