Chapter 250
"That's not true! She's lying! She's trying to drive a wedge between us!"
Lorelei frantically explained, grabbing at Gideon. But his face was ice-cold. She had no choice but to stumble toward the doorway and clutch at Briana.
"Mom, believe me! You watched me give birth to this child! When I was with Gideon, I never slept with anyone else!"
Briana also found it hard to believe. If this were true, she and her son would be the biggest fools.
She stared hard at Josephine. "You must be lying. Words have consequences. If you say something like this without proof, I'll sue you for defamation."
Lorelei secretly breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Briana believed her. "That's right, Josephine! Saying such things insults my honor. I will definitely sue you!"
Josephine didn't bother with more words. She simply threw a file folder at them.
The folder was thick. It hit the ground with a slap, but inside was only a single test result.
A paternity test.
Briana's trembling hands picked up the document. Her eyes slowly fell on the paper. When she read the words, her mind buzzed.
Her vision went dark.
No biological relationship.
Her son and this child had no blood relation whatsoever!
Gideon stepped forward to steady his mother, also looking at the test result. When he saw the conclusion, he froze.
Lorelei was stunned too. She immediately moved to tear the test into pieces.
Josephine's words stopped her.
"Go ahead and tear it. I can get as many copies as I want. The child is right here. The father is right here. We can do another test anytime. If you don't believe it, test it yourself."
The paper slipped from Lorelei's hands. She looked at Gideon and his mother, wanting to explain, but her lips trembled so badly she couldn't form a complete word.
The paternity test was right there. No matter how silver-tongued or eloquent she was, she couldn't twist the truth now.
"Mom, are you okay?" Gideon looked at Briana.
Briana closed her eyes for a long while before gradually recovering. She raised her eyes to Lorelei and slapped her hard across the face.
Lorelei's head buzzed from the blow.
"Get out. I never want to see you again." Briana said through gritted teeth.
Gideon steadied her and glanced coldly at Lorelei, then at the two young officers. "Thank you for your trouble. Handle this matter as you see fit. When you need my cooperation, please call me. Mom, let's go."
He led his mother away.
Lorelei stood there lost and dazed. She wanted to chase after them, but the two officers blocked her at the door.
"Sorry, you can't leave yet. Ms. Kennedy is charging you with false accusation. Please come with us to the station for questioning."
Lorelei's face turned deathly pale.
But Josephine suddenly spoke. "Forget it. I'm dropping the charges."
The young officer frowned. "Ms. Kennedy, are you sure?"
"Yes."
The two officers left. Lorelei glared furiously at Josephine. "Don't expect me to be grateful. I know you pity me. You want to show off your victory. But let me tell you—you haven't won. You and Gideon still got divorced. The beautiful marriage you were so proud of was destroyed by my hands long ago."
Josephine turned and placed the baby on the bed, then walked toward the door without looking at Lorelei once.
This hurt Lorelei more than insults or beatings—as if after fighting and scheming for so long, Josephine had never considered her an opponent at all.
She stubbornly blocked Josephine's path. "Are you too ashamed to face me because you lost? Stop acting high and mighty in front of me, pretending you don't care. If you really didn't care, you wouldn't have divorced in the first place!"
Josephine's steps paused slightly. "I've thrown away countless pieces of garbage in my life. If someone wants to pick through my trash, I won't stop them. But please—don't come showing off in front of me with garbage you picked up."
She walked away.
Behind her, Lorelei's face twisted with rage.
After this incident ended, Josephine threw herself wholeheartedly into work.
Not only did the project run smoothly, but her father's psychological treatment was also progressing well.
Everything seemed to be getting back on track.
One day, Cedric picked Josephine up from work. As he leaned over to fasten her seatbelt, he said casually, "Where do you want to have the wedding?"
Josephine froze. "Wedding?"
"Yes. Though we're already registered, I still want to give you a grand wedding. You should have everything others have—and things they don't."
The words were practically a declaration of love.
In truth, this was a day Cedric had waited for a very long time.
Though he appeared calm, he was actually nervous inside.
Afraid Josephine would refuse.
Josephine pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, then nodded. "You can arrange the venue. You know I'm busy with the company project. Of course, when I have time, I'll try to look at venues with you."
She felt a little embarrassed.
It felt like their roles had reversed. When she was with Gideon, she'd chosen the wedding venue and even the dress.
Because back then, Gideon had been busy starting his business.
Cedric didn't mind any of that. As long as she agreed, he was happy. "Okay, I'll handle it."
They say happy events lift spirits. Josephine felt exactly that way—visibly, genuinely happy.
So the next day, she specially bought small gifts to bring to the office and handed out invitations she and Cedric had written together the night before to colleagues she was close with.
Everyone was shocked as if they'd seen a ghost. No one had expected these two to end up together.
But after the shock came a flood of congratulations.
Josephine struggled to escape everyone's siege, sighing that too many well-wishes could sometimes be overwhelming.
The office phone suddenly rang.
It was the front desk.
"Ms. Kennedy, Mr. Gideon Getty would like to see you."
Josephine went downstairs and saw Gideon in the lobby. When he saw her, his eyes lit up. "Jojo!"
Today he seemed different from usual—as if he'd shed some burden. He looked refreshed, almost radiant.
Josephine asked, "What do you need?"
"I bought two movie tickets. I'd like to invite you to see a film in a couple days."
Josephine narrowed her eyes.
Was this guy okay? They were divorced. She was married to Cedric. How could she possibly go to a movie with another man?
"Sorry, I don't have time."
Gideon didn't give up. Ever since learning the child wasn't his, he knew he didn't have to marry Lorelei or take responsibility for the baby.
Though he might lose his inheritance rights, he didn't care about that anymore.
He only wanted to win back the woman he loved.
Josephine was annoyed beyond measure. "Gideon, I will never be with you again. Do you want to know why?"
Gideon froze, instinctively shaking his head. "Is it because I cheated? But I know I was wrong. I promise—I'll never do it again."
Josephine shook her head, looking at him with sympathy, pity, and a trace of hatred. "You have no idea what you lost."
She turned and left.
Gideon stood frozen in place. Those words filled him with inexplicable fear, though he didn't understand what they meant.
Not until he received a package.
Inside was nothing particularly special—just a prenatal checkup form, a surgical record, and a discharge certificate.
The name written clearly on all of them: Josephine.
Gideon's hand trembled. The papers fluttered to the ground.
Like snow falling in winter—cold and cutting.
Half a month later, came Josephine and Cedric's wedding. It was lively, with many guests—plenty of company colleagues and even more of Cedric's business partners.
The newlyweds stood onstage exchanging rings. Before everyone's witness, they pledged to spend their lives together and received everyone's blessings.
Afterward, they made the rounds toasting guests. Cedric kept blocking drinks for Josephine, prompting constant teasing. Cedric looked completely unbothered.
He was determined to protect his wife.
Wife...
Cedric smiled. He liked that title.
By the time all the events finished, it was evening. Josephine hadn't drunk much, but she was exhausted. Sitting on the bed, she noticed the pile of gift boxes nearby.
On top was a blue box that stood out.
She opened it and found a wishing bottle inside.
Inside the bottle was a note.
It was from a camping trip activity she and Gideon had participated in during college.
The wish written on the note was simple and pure, filled with the beautiful hopes unique to young people.
[I hope Gideon and I will be together forever.]
But now, there was another note in the bottle.
[Congratulations on your wedding.]
Gideon's handwriting.
"What are you looking at?"
The sound of running water in the bedroom stopped. Josephine heard footsteps behind her. She folded the notes together and put them back in the wishing bottle.
Then she turned around and smiled faintly. "Nothing. I'm a little tired. Don't feel like showering."
Cedric didn't think much of it. He put his arm around her shoulders. "Then don't. You worked hard today."
Josephine leaned against his shoulder, smiling softly.
She didn't look back at the wishing bottle behind her.
The past was already turned. From now on, she would only walk forward, look ahead, and never turn back.
The End.
---
Dear readers, this novel is coming to an end soon. I highly recommend another fantastic story of the same genre:
I’d appreciate all your support, thank you so much!