Seven years of silence. I finally returned to New York with my seven-year-old son to visit my parents. The moment I stepped off the plane, I ran straight into my ex-fiancé’s best friend at the airport. He blocked my way and asked, "It’s been seven years, Chloe. When are you going to apologize to Austin for running away from your own wedding?" His best friend, Austin Sinclair, was the ex-fiancé I had almost married. Seven years ago, we were standing in a luxury hotel, ready to exchange our vows. But right before I was supposed to walk down the aisle, he suddenly halted the ceremony. He reached into the crowd, pulled a girl in a white dress onto the stage, and made a passionate announcement to all the guests: "Serena is my first love. I promised her that I would walk her down the aisle once in this lifetime." "After today, I will be a married man and settle down. I’m taking this opportunity to fulfill my promise to her." After saying that, he nodded to the priest, signaling him to continue. The crowd gasped. Everyone looked at me, waiting to see the bride become the biggest laughingstock in the city. I stood there in silence for a few seconds. Then, I grabbed the skirt of my wedding gown and walked out of the venue. He didn't chase after me, and I didn't wait. Now, seven years had passed, and my child was already seven years old. Yet, my ex-fiancé’s best friend was still here, trying to convince me to apologize so we could "rekindle our old flame." I laughed out loud. I pulled my son out from behind me and pushed him forward. "Sweetheart, say hi to the uncle. Tell him what your daddy’s name is."
Carter stared at the little boy in disbelief. "Chloe, you actually ran away with his child? You gave birth to Austin's son?!" "I mean, using a kid to tie him down is a pretty cheap trick, but hey, at least it shows Austin didn't wait seven years for nothing." I knew he had completely misunderstood. I corrected him calmly: "This child has nothing to do with Austin Sinclair. I got married seven years ago. He is the son of my current husband." Carter froze, looking at me as if I had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world. "You dared to marry someone else behind Austin's back? Do you have any idea how crazily he’s been looking for you?" I nodded, my expression completely serene. "Yes, I got married. Seven years ago." Just then, my Uber arrived. I tried to push past him to walk out. But he grabbed my suitcase, refusing to let go. "Chloe, make yourself clear. What do you mean you got married seven years ago? How old is this kid? Is he Austin's?" Carter’s agitated voice was like a thunderclap, drawing curious stares from the travelers around us. But he didn't care. His eyes widened like saucers, scanning my son's face inch by inch. He kept nodding to himself, utterly convinced of his own theory. "This kid is definitely Austin's blood. Look at those big eyes, double eyelids, and those dimples!" "Chloe, you’ve got some nerve, running away with his secret baby." "No wonder you kept silent for seven years. You wanted to wait until the child grew up so you could use him to force your way into the Sinclair family. You are so calculating, Chloe." I frowned. I couldn't see a single resemblance between my son and Austin. After all, my husband was of French-American descent. The kid’s genetics were entirely different. Before I could speak, Carter continued his lecture: "Even though Austin never stopped looking for you and even cold-shouldered Serena for your sake, as his brother, I still have to warn you. Don't think you can act high and mighty just because you have his kid." "You ruined the Sinclair family’s reputation when you fled the wedding seven years ago. If Austin hadn't taken the punishment from his father to get his parents to forgive you, you would have been blacklisted from high society forever." "It's still early. Let's go to a luxury store right now. Buy some expensive whiskey and gifts. When we go to the Sinclair mansion later to beg for forgiveness, I can at least help put in a good word for you..." "Stop right there!" I couldn't stand his voice anymore and cut him off. "Who said I'm going to the Sinclair house? Let me remind you again: I am married. This child belongs to my husband. His last name is Vance, and his father is Ethan Vance..." "Chloe!" I didn't know if the word "husband" had triggered him, but Carter suddenly grabbed my wrist, squeezing so hard it felt like he wanted to crush my bones. "You're thirty years old! Can you stop being so childish?!" "Do you still think you're some young, naive girl? Yes, you're beautiful and talented, but the Vance family? An elite global shipping empire? A rude, classless runaway bride like you wants to climb onto the Vance family? Have you lost your mind while living abroad?" The Vance family was the most prominent shipping dynasty in the country. To support national trade, they had moved their main operations to New York over the past few years. They were incredibly powerful, a force that even the Sinclair family wouldn't dare to provoke. And in Carter's eyes, I was just a gold digger who had been publicly humiliated by Austin. Seeing me stay silent, his tone softened, and he began to lecture me with a sigh: "I know Austin made a mistake seven years ago. But he's a billionaire, and he waited for you for seven years. Isn't that enough?" "Yes, he didn't apologize, and he didn't chase after you. But over the years, no matter how much he liked Serena, he never married her, did he? Chloe, don't be so ungrateful." Carter sighed and took a business card from his pocket, handing it to me. "This is Austin's private contact. He has inherited Sinclair Enterprises now. He's one of the top entrepreneurs in New York—young, handsome, and filthy rich. Countless women dream of marrying him. Don't waste this opportunity." He looked at me with absolute certainty. He was positive that I would ecstatically grab Austin's card, call him immediately, admit my mistakes, and beg for a happy family reunion. Instead, I took the card, glanced at it, and tore it into tiny pieces. "Too late."
Seven years ago, on the day of my wedding with Austin. My mother was so excited that she couldn't sleep at all the night before. My father didn't say much, but he secretly wiped away tears behind my back before we left. And my grandparents, who lived a simple life in rural Maine, saved up for months just to fly in. They were so old, yet they insisted on coming because they didn't want to miss their beloved granddaughter's big day. I thought that day would be the happiest day of my life. But right before I was supposed to walk down the aisle, Austin halted the ceremony. He pulled Serena, who was also wearing a white gown, onto the stage, and confessed his feelings to her in front of all the guests. "Serena is my first love. I promised her that I would walk her down the aisle once in this lifetime." "After today, I will be another woman's husband. This is my last chance." "Chloe, you'll let me do this, right?" Clutching my bouquet, I looked around the hall in absolute confusion, feeling as if my heart had been ripped out of my chest. "Why?" I asked him. Why did he have to humiliate me like this at our own wedding? Austin smirked and pointed at my parents and grandparents sitting in the front row. "It's nothing. I just noticed how much your cheap relatives love to freeload off my family. Since I'm willing to marry you anyway, what's wrong with sharing a bit of the spotlight with Serena?" The crowd began to whisper, pointing fingers at my parents and grandparents. My grandfather, a retired school principal who valued honor above all else, had a heart attack on the spot. My grandmother, embarrassed and red-faced, tried to explain, but Austin’s snobbish relatives threw garbage at her and shouted insults. I looked at the wedding dress that was supposed to symbolize love. After a moment of silence, I grabbed my skirt, turned around, and led my family out of the hotel without looking back. From the day of the ruined wedding to the day I decided to move abroad, seven full days passed. Austin never came to apologize. Instead, his first love, Serena, showed up with Austin's mother. In the hotel café, they held hands like a real mother and daughter. But the moment they saw me, their smiles vanished. Serena spoke in a slow, patronizing tone: "Chloe, I'm really sorry about the wedding. I didn't expect Austin to still remember our promise after we’d been broken up for so long. I'm sorry you were humiliated." Mrs. Sinclair patted Serena's hand gently. "Why are you apologizing? Austin did what he was supposed to do. You two are childhood sweethearts. A newcomer could never compare to that." Then, she turned to me with an elegant, fake smile. "Chloe, I'm not trying to criticize you. Just don't take it to heart." I took a sip of my coffee, the bitter taste spreading through my mouth. Mrs. Sinclair took a check from her designer bag and pushed it toward me. "There's $500,000 on this check. Take it, and get your family out of New York." I stared at the check and asked quietly, "Is this what Austin wants?" "Of course," Mrs. Sinclair sneered. "You ran away from the wedding. What else do you expect my son to do?" "Do you know who Serena is? Her father is the Sinclair family's most valued business partner. As for you..." She paused for a second and sighed with disdain. "You're just a small-town girl who got a lucky glimpse of high society. This is more than enough for you, don't you think?" I didn't say a word. I took the check, donated every penny of it to an elementary school in my hometown, and left the country. I had been gone for seven years. And now, my son was seven years old.
"Chloe! Are you even listening to me?!" Carter’s hysterical voice dragged me back to reality. He looked at me with an expression of pure frustration, as if I were beyond saving. "Austin is incredibly successful now, and he still misses you. If you don't take this chance to apologize, you'll never get him back." "You used to be so scheming. How can you be so stupid now?" Looking at his angry face, I felt nothing but exhaustion. I raised my voice to make sure he heard me clearly: "I, Chloe, am married. My husband loves me, and my son is wonderful. I am living a great life, and I don't need anyone's forgiveness. Stop bothering me." After saying that, I grabbed my son's hand and pulled him toward the waiting Uber. Carter tried to chase us, but he was left eating our exhaust fumes. Panicking, he pulled out his phone, opened SnapChat, and quickly messaged Austin: [Austin, I just saw Chloe. She's back in New York.] On the other side of the screen, the man froze. He stood up so fast he almost crashed into his office's glass door, rushing out in a frenzy. Arriving at our pre-booked luxury hotel, I unpacked our bags and took my son down to the lobby restaurant for lunch. As soon as the elevator doors opened, a loud gasp echoed through the lobby. "Austin! There she is! Chloe is coming down!" I looked up. Carter was standing in the lobby, accompanied by a very handsome man. He was tall, dressed in a bespoke designer suit, with his hair slightly messy over his forehead. It was obvious he had rushed over in a desperate hurry. My ex-fiancé, the man I had almost married—Austin Sinclair. He stood a few feet away, his eyes locked onto the little boy holding my hand. His Adam's apple bobbed as he choked out: "Chloe... is he my son?" I froze. Memories flashed through my mind. Like most clichéd "rich boy meets poor girl" romances, Austin and I had fallen in love at first sight in college. He was a wealthy heir who threw thousands of dollars around like pocket change. I was a hard-working scholarship student from a small town, working part-time at a local diner to pay for my books. Because of a chance encounter, we fell in love and stayed together for five years. For his sake, I quit my part-time job and studied like crazy. After graduation, I joined the Sinclair enterprise and became one of the most talented designers in New York. For my sake, he rebelled against his family, gave up his dream of studying history, and took over his family's business. He protected me from the whispers of those who called me a gold digger, turning me into his official fiancée. We had poured everything into that relationship. Until Serena returned. She was perfect—beautiful, elegant, and Austin's childhood sweetheart. At first, I didn't care. Trust was the most important thing between partners, and Austin loved me so much. We were getting married, after all. But reality hit hard. Austin began working later and later. He canceled our dates more and more frequently. Once, because I couldn't decide on the invitation designs, I went to his office to find him. His secretary stopped me coldly: "Mr. Sinclair is in a private meeting. No one is allowed to disturb him." But a second later, Serena walked past me with an elegant sway, pushing his office door open without even knocking. That day, I lost my temper in front of Austin for the first time. I demanded to know what his relationship with Serena really was. He didn't answer. Instead, he threw a stack of printed screenshots onto the desk. They were receipts of the first-class tickets and five-star hotel rooms I had booked for my parents. He looked at me with deep disappointment. "Chloe, do you remember when you wouldn't even buy a fifty-dollar shirt because you thought it was too expensive?" "They all said you were only after my money. I didn't want to believe them, but look at this." I stood there, shocked. I tried to explain that I was earning my own money now and just wanted to give my aging parents a comfortable trip. I even pulled up my bank statement to prove that every single cent spent was my own. But Austin only gave me a cold grunt and told me to get out. After that, our relationship turned icy. I tried everything to fix it. I stopped using the black card he gave me for the wedding. I kept every single receipt of my personal expenses and handed them to his assistant. Three days before the wedding, to save money, I even gave up on the diamond-encrusted gown I had initially chosen and picked a simple, satin dress that cost half the price. On the day of my final fitting, Carter and Serena both showed up. As I walked out of the dressing room, I heard Serena whispering to Austin: "You should really sign a prenuptial agreement. Girls from her background are always looking for a payday." I was young and proud back then. I couldn't take that kind of humiliation. I interrupted them on the spot and confronted Austin: "If you don't trust me, then let's call off this wedding." Austin panicked. He frantically explained that he didn't mean it that way, promising he had never thought about a prenup. He insisted the wedding would go on as planned. I thought he finally trusted me. Until he brought Serena onto the stage at our wedding and publicly insulted my family. Only then did I realize he had never believed in me. And now, Austin was staring at me, practically begging for an answer. "Chloe, please tell me. Is he my child?"
I stepped back, hiding my son behind me. "No. He is my husband's child. His last name is Vance." The name seemed to trigger Austin. His eyes instantly turned bloodshot. He gritted his teeth, veins popping on his forehead. "Chloe, at least make up a believable lie! We've been apart for seven years, and he is exactly seven years old! Don't tell me you slept with some random guy the second you ran away from me!" I frowned. What did he mean by "some random guy"? I had broken up with him, dated normally, got married, and had a baby. How did that make my husband a "random guy" in his mouth? I took a deep breath to reply, but suddenly, a violent force pushed me from behind. I fell to the floor, my palms scraping against the hard tiles, leaving them bloody and raw. "Mom! What are you doing?!" Austin gasped, immediately reaching out to help me up. But I flinched away from him, leaving him freezing in place. Mrs. Sinclair had grabbed my son's wrist, her voice shrill and piercing: "What am I doing? I'm taking my grandson back!" "I've seen plenty of gold diggers like her. She's just playing hard to get by pretending she doesn't want you!" "She took my money and kidnapped my grandson. I haven't called the police yet, which is already a mercy!" She turned to her bodyguards, shouting, "What are you standing there for? Take my grandson!" The bodyguards immediately stepped forward, grabbing Leo and pulling him away. Panicking, I tried to scramble up to fight them, but Austin pinned me down. "Give me back my son! How many times do I have to tell you, he is not Austin's child!" I screamed. Leo was terrified, sobbing hysterically. "Let me go! I want my mommy and daddy! Mommy, help me!" Austin tried to hold my hands while using a soft, sickening voice to soothe the boy: "Don't cry, buddy. Your mommy is just being difficult. Daddy is taking you home." Leo kicked violently, one of his sneakers flying off. He screamed, his bare foot stomping on the floor: "You're not my dad! My dad is Ethan Vance! He's coming, and he's going to ruin you!" Austin's face darkened instantly. He glared at the bodyguards. "The kid is brainwashed. He dares to use Ethan Vance’s name to threaten us? Who knows what kind of trouble he’ll cause in the future." "Marcus, don't hold back. Teach him some manners." Mrs. Sinclair nodded in agreement. "Exactly. He clearly has no manners. He needs to be disciplined." "Thank god Carter found him. Otherwise, who knows when our Sinclair blood would finally return home." She ordered the bodyguards coldly: "Tie his hands, gag him, and lock him in the playroom when we get home." "Don't let him out until he learns to behave." "I dare you to try!" A deep, powerful voice boomed through the lobby. I looked up. Several sleek black Bentleys had pulled up outside the hotel. Surrounded by a group of imposing security guards, a tall, commanding man with an undeniable aura of power stepped into the lobby. Who else could it be but my husband, Ethan Vance?
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