Chapter 79 79
Maxwell
“What kind of sick joke is this?” I shouted into the phone, my hand trembling with anger. Without waiting for a response, I told my driver to turn the car around and head straight back home. There was no way I could focus on work after finding out something this disturbing. My mind was spinning, my chest tight with questions that made no sense.
Rhea chuckled on the other end of the line, her calm tone only fueling my rage. “I see you have finally found out the truth,” she said lightly. “Your real and healthy child.” She paused, as if enjoying the effect of her words. “I’m back from Miami and already on my way home. Let’s meet and talk.”
I hung up without responding and urged the driver to move faster. By the time we reached the house, my patience was completely gone. I walked straight into the living room and began pacing back and forth, my footsteps heavy against the floor. Every second felt like an hour as I waited for her to arrive and explain the impossible. how I could have a five-year-old child I knew nothing about, and where she had been hiding that child all this time.
Soon, Rhea walked in, looking relaxed and pleased with herself, a wide smile on her face as though she had just won a prize. One of the maids quickly took her luggage and carried it upstairs. Rhea’s eyes landed on me, and her smile widened.
“I can see you were really waiting for me,” she said casually. “I never thought the day would come when I’d return home and find my husband eagerly waiting for me.” She laughed softly, clearly amused.
I clenched my jaw, my hands curling into fists at my sides. “This is not the time for jokes,” I snapped. My voice was low, strained with anger. “Get straight to the point.”
I stepped closer to her, my heart pounding hard in my chest. “How is it possible that I have a child I didn’t know about for five years?” I demanded, my voice rising despite my effort to stay calm. “Rhea, we didn’t have sex for three years before our divorce. So explain this to me, explain it now.”
She walked past me and took a seat on the couch, crossing her legs slowly, as if she had all the time in the world. Her calmness only made my anger burn hotter.
“A woman always finds her way,” she said casually. “I did everything I could to save our marriage, Maxwell. But your mind was already made up, you had decided to let me go.”
I frowned deeply, disbelief written all over my face. “What rubbish are you talking about?” I snapped. “We both agreed to the divorce. That’s not what I’m here for, and I don’t care about that right now.”
I stepped closer, my patience completely gone. “What I want to know is how this is possible. Where is the child?” I yelled, my voice echoing in the room. “Answer me, for fuck’s sake. I am tired of you wasting my time.”
She shrugged lightly, unconcerned. “During the divorce process, you came home drunk one night,” she said. “I took advantage of the moment.” She paused, then quickly added, “I missed you. I just wanted to feel you again. I knew you would never agree if you were sober, so I took the opportunity when you weren’t thinking straight.”
She looked away briefly. “I never planned for it to happen. I didn’t know I would end up pregnant.”
My blood boiled. “Then how come I don’t remember anything about that night?” I asked harshly. “If we really had sex, there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed the next morning.” I laughed bitterly, anger dripping from my words. “Do I look stupid to you, Rhea? Why can’t you, for once in your life, tell the fucking truth?”
“I’m not lying,” she said quickly. Her expression was serious, almost convincing. For a moment, she looked like she truly believed what she was saying. But deep inside me, something felt wrong. Maybe it was instinct—or maybe it was because she had never been honest or loyal from the very beginning.
“I know I haven’t been completely honest from the start of this marriage,” she continued. “But this time, Maxwell, I’m telling you the truth.”
I stared at her in silence, my mind torn between her words and the deep doubt settling in my chest.
“Okay,” I said finally, running my hands through my hair in frustration. My head was pounding, my thoughts all over the place. “Where is the child now? Is it a boy or a girl?” I asked quickly, barely pausing to breathe. “I want to meet him or her immediately. Does this child even know I exist?”
“It’s a boy,” she replied calmly. “And no, he doesn’t know about you. I never told him anything about his father.”
Her words hit me hard, and my face burned with anger. “Why?” I demanded. “Why would you hide my son from me for five years? Why would you never tell him about me?”
She folded her arms. “Because you never wanted us,” she said coldly. “You never did. You are only acting desperate now because your father gave you a condition.” Her eyes narrowed. “You even married the woman who destroyed our marriage. I will not raise my son in that kind of environment.”
“Don’t you dare say that!” I yelled, my voice shaking with rage. “You’re only telling me about his existence today. How can you say I would abandon my child?” I pointed at her angrily. “You separated me from my own son because of your selfishness.”
I took a deep breath, trying to control myself. “I want to meet him,” I said firmly. “I want to meet my son right now.”
Rhea let out a dry, humorless laugh. She stood up from the couch and walked toward me slowly, stopping just inches away. “You really want to meet your son?” she asked, her voice low.
“Whatever game you are playing,” I said through clenched teeth, “I suggest you stop it now and let me see my child.”
She smirked, clearly enjoying the moment. “You will see him,” she said. “But there are conditions.”
I raised my eyebrows, my chest tightening. She continued without hesitation. “First, you will pay me thirty million dollars, for risking my life, for carrying your son, and for raising him alone all these years.”
She paused, then added coldly, “Second, you will divorce Amelia and marry me. She must leave this house.”
The room went silent as her words settled between us, heavy and suffocating.