Chapter 23
"Impossible!" Without a second thought, I immediately rejected William's words loudly.
After all the things he'd done, even him touching me made me sick—how could I possibly have his child?
What on earth was going through his head!
To prevent William from becoming emotionally unstable and doing something to hurt me, I quietly placed my hand on the knife at my waist.
"Layla, don't look at me like that. I love you."
Perhaps my wariness and hatred toward him were too obvious for William to accept. He actually spoke in that same old way—part wheedling, part pained—his voice hoarse.
"William, I wanted us to part on good terms. But if you insist on this, then I'll take us both down! I have videos of you sleeping with Olivia, and that day in the private room when you were mouth-feeding her drinks. If anything happens to Ethan, I'll ruin your reputation!"
I never wanted things to come to this.
But given the current situation, I had no choice.
Otherwise, I really couldn't be sure what this lunatic William might do to Ethan.
Besides, I was finding William's behavior increasingly incomprehensible.
We'd been together for ten years—we knew each other's personalities well.
What made him think that after doing such a disgusting series of things, I would still have his child?
"Layla, you're adorably naive. You think posting a few videos will have any impact on me?" William dropped the act. He crossed his legs and looked at me with a light laugh.
I really disliked the way he was looking at me now—like looking at a puppy or kitten, not taking my threat seriously at all. His eyes were full of contempt, even tinged with disdain.
"Layla, your family was successful once. Don't you know that public opinion has always been controlled by the rich?"
"Believe it or not, once you post those videos, within three days I can get people to suppress the buzz and make your videos disappear from the entire internet."
He wasn't wrong.
No matter the era, so-called hot topics and public opinion were just games manipulated by the rich.
Actually, I knew deep down that with my current resources and status, I posed no real threat to William.
But I still wanted to take a gamble—gamble that he wouldn't use those underhanded methods against me.
Clearly, I'd lost that bet.
Or more accurately, William's acting skills were too masterful. He'd deceived me for ten years before I finally saw his ruthless, cruel true face!
Seeing my silence, his smile deepened. "Layla, how about this—I'll compromise again. You want to divorce me, right? As long as you give me a child, I'll let you leave, and I'll even give you a generous settlement. How about it?"
I took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress my surging anger, and said patiently, "William, I just don't understand—don't you already have someone willing to have your child? Why do you have to keep me tied to you?"
"Because I love you. I told you, Olivia and I were just an accident. I only want a child with you."
How did that clean-cut, handsome young man from before turn into this hideous, disgusting face?
Standing there, I couldn't find words to describe my disgust for him. "William, why don't you go look in a mirror and see what you look like now?"
"Layla, this is my only request now. If you don't want to see your brother again, you can refuse my request. But..." William curved his lips playfully and gestured toward his phone with his chin. "But whether you'll ever see your brother again, I can't guarantee."
My heart felt like something had violently struck it. Sharp pain shot through me, and my whole body went numb. "William, were you just pretending all along?"
"Think whatever you want. My terms are laid out here. Give me a child, and I'll divorce you. I'll leave you the house and car, and Ethan can come home safely too."
I bit down hard, my nails digging deep into my palms, using the pain to keep myself calm.
"Layla, my terms are already very generous. Go ask around—hiring a surrogate costs at most a few hundred thousand dollars, but what I'm willing to pay you is far more than that, plus I'll take care of your brother. This deal—you're not losing out." William's smile was cunning, and the words coming from his mouth made my heart ache to the point of trembling.
I was too stupid, wasting ten years of my youth on someone like this, and dragging Ethan into it too!
Both my parents were dead, and I'd lost touch with relatives years ago. Ethan was my only family.
No matter what, I couldn't let anything happen to him!
Looking at Ethan severely injured and unconscious in the video, I swallowed all my resentment and hatred. My throat felt like it had a blade in it—every word I spoke was like cutting through my own flesh. "Fine, I agree."
William smiled and stood up, walking behind me. He gently wrapped his arms around my waist and nuzzled his chin into the crook of my neck.
Before, when he did this, I would smile despite myself, thinking it was a sign of our affection.
But now, I just felt sick. I wanted to scrub every place he'd touched with a wire brush.
I endured the revulsion, not letting myself break down, swallowing all the unwillingness and grievance.
For Ethan's sake, I had to endure!
"Layla, then it's settled. You'll move back in today."
"Okay."
"Forget those clothes—I'll take you shopping for new ones. Starting today, we're beginning a new life. Everything needs to be new!" William's mood changed like flipping a page. All the scheming and cruelty from moments ago vanished. Now he acted like a good husband, taking my hand to go clothes shopping.
We arrived at the mall, and I moved like a puppet on strings, letting him hold up various dresses against me.
At that moment, no matter how he acted, my mind kept telling itself, 'Hang in there, and once I find out where Ethan is, I can leave.'
But I never imagined William had an even more shameless side!