Chapter 129 One's Background

Chapter 129 One's Background

Meanwhile.

Shawn also saw the news online, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He never imagined Ruth was not only alive, but had become the heiress of the Becker family.

Shawn paid someone to find out where Ruth was now. Once he got the address, he immediately drove over.

When he arrived, he spotted Ruth right away—she was holding a baby in the garden, soaking up the sun.

Ruth sensed someone watching her. She glanced toward the entrance and through the wrought-iron fence, she saw a familiar figure standing there.

Shawn.

He looked far more haggard than when she'd left him. Clearly, he hadn't been doing well lately. Not that it was any of her concern.

Shawn stood at the gate, both hands gripping the iron bars, his gaze fixed on Ruth. His voice came out hoarse.

"Ruth... it really is you..."

Ruth held Nina, giving him a cold glance.

Some things needed to be said once and for all. Otherwise, she'd just get dragged into this mess again the next time they crossed paths.

The security guard at the gate was about to force him to leave, but Ruth spoke up. "Let him in."

Shawn practically stumbled his way inside.

He stopped in front of Ruth, his gaze first landing on her face, then dropping to the baby in her arms. "You're alive. Why didn't you tell me? I looked for you for so long."

Ruth looked at him, completely unmoved.

"Shawn, we're divorced," she said evenly.

Shawn's head snapped up. "That's impossible! I never signed any divorce papers!"

Ruth let out a soft laugh, tinged with mockery. "You didn't sign divorce papers, but you did sign an agreement to leave the marriage with nothing. Remember? You got on your knees and begged me to forgive you. You signed it with your own hand."

Shawn's pupils contracted.

He remembered that agreement.

He'd thought Ruth would never use it. He'd thought it was just a promise to make her happy... but she had used it.

"That agreement stated very clearly that once I signed, the marriage would be dissolved immediately." Ruth looked at him. "Legally, we haven't been husband and wife for a long time."

Shawn stood frozen, his face draining of color.

His gaze shifted back to the child in Ruth's arms, as if unwilling to accept it.

"That child... whose is it? Is it William's? Or..."

Ruth didn't answer his question. She simply asked in a detached tone, "Does it really matter whose child this is?"

Shawn's throat tightened. He wanted to step forward and get a better look at the baby.

Just then, a black sedan pulled up at the entrance to the estate.

William got out of the car and strode into the garden. When he saw Shawn, his tone turned sharp.

"What are you doing here?"

That one sentence set Shawn off. He whipped around and shouted, "William! She's my wife! How dare you steal her from me!"

William looked at him, his voice devoid of emotion. "Legally, you two are no longer married. Besides, she's my fiancée now."

Shawn felt like he'd been struck by lightning.

What?

He stumbled back a step, staring at Ruth in disbelief. "Ruth... is what he's saying true?"

Ruth held Nina, meeting his eyes calmly. "Yes."

Shawn kept muttering under his breath. How was this possible?

He kept backing away... his vision darkening at the edges. He bumped into the garden railing and collapsed straight to the ground.

He was out cold.

William glanced down at the unconscious Shawn, then turned to Ruth. "What do you want to do with him?"

Ruth lowered her eyes, silent for two seconds. "Don't let him die here. Send him to the hospital."

William nodded and signaled the bodyguards to carry him to the car.

After the car left the estate, the garden fell quiet again.

Ruth sat back down, looking down at Nina, who was still sleeping peacefully in her arms. She let out a soft breath.

At least everything was out in the open now. She could finally close the chapter on that man.

That evening, William brought back an unexpected visitor.

Ruth was arranging flowers in the living room when she heard footsteps. She looked up.

Behind William stood a tall, middle-aged man.

The man wore a dark gray suit, his hair neatly combed, and his expression carried an air of authority. But when he looked at her, his gaze was unusually gentle.

"Ruth, this is—" William was about to introduce him when the man spoke first.

"I'm your father." Marcus's voice was slightly hoarse. "Your biological father. If you don't believe me, we can do a DNA test."

Ruth's grip on the flowers tightened.

This man was her father?

For a moment, it felt like a dream.

Marcus didn't rush to explain. He simply pulled a thick file from his briefcase and placed it on the coffee table. "The whole truth is in here. You were switched at birth. You weren't abandoned."

Ruth picked up the file and scanned it. It stated that the mastermind behind the incident was Jade Clark, along with someone named Dewey Gerard.

Marcus slowly recounted the buried past.

Jade was the founder of a luxury brand and a scientific genius who had once been obsessed with him. After he rejected her, love turned to hate.

Years ago, to destroy his happiness, she conspired with Dewey Gerard to orchestrate an identity swap.

They switched his newborn daughter with another baby. From that day on, Ruth was lost to the world, while the switched child became the adopted daughter of the Howard family.

Marcus flipped to the last page of the file. "I've been searching for you all these years. I've handed over all the evidence of Jade and Dewey Gerard's crimes to the international court. They won't get away."

Ruth listened in silence for a long time.

She looked down at the flowers she'd just arranged, then lifted her eyes and met Marcus's hopeful gaze.

She knew of Marcus—he was a mafia godfather.

She never imagined someone like him would be her biological father. Her emotions were complicated.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I can't call you that yet. But I'll try to get to know you."

Marcus's eyes reddened slightly. He didn't push her, only smiled and nodded.

They exchanged a few more words. Perhaps sensing that his presence made Ruth uncomfortable, Marcus reluctantly left.

After Marcus left, Ruth sat on the sofa, staring into space.

William walked over and sat beside her. He didn't say anything, just quietly kept her company.

Meanwhile, at the hospital.

Shawn slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the harsh white ceiling.

He turned his head and saw Brenda and Elsie standing by his bed, both their faces filled with worry and reproach.