33. Who Ruined Brandon?

"Put the baby down and get the hell out of this room!" yelled Brandon, his voice filled with anger. I quickly placed the baby in the crib, but I couldn't make my way to the door as Brandon was standing in the doorway. After giving me an intense glare, Brandon stepped aside, allowing me to slowly exit the room.

"Hey, listen up. Never come near this baby again, and if you even breathe a word about being kept in a secret room and pregnant with my child, I'll kick your ass! I swear to God!" Brandon bluntly warned me, his eyes narrowed menacingly. I stood rooted in place, staring at the stranger before me.

"This evening, I'll be giving your dad a call and informing him that you have been found. So get ready, you're heading back to Malmo tonight," Brandon declared.

"It's already past seven," I pointed out, searching for more evidence to confirm that Brandon had been replaced. The real Brandon would never allow me to undertake a journey at this hour of the day.

"That's even more reason for you to start moving now!" he snapped, turning to leave, with his bodyguards trailing behind him.

"But I can't leave without my son," I murmured, my back still turned towards him.

"You can't take him with you! Julian isn't your son. The moment you agreed with Rachel to pass him off as hers, you lost all rights to him. Now, his birth certificate has Rachel Winterberg listed as his mother!" Brandon explained forcefully.

"I never agreed to anything with Rachel!" I turned and protested.

"Yes, you did, Emma! Don't lie to me! First, Rachel claimed she wouldn't carry my baby, and then all the surveillance cameras at the estate conveniently stopped working the day you left home and sneaked into my residence, and into my bedroom, no less? Who do you think you're fooling?! I'm highly disappointed in you, Emma," Brandon said, his disappointment evident in his voice.

"I'm disappointed in you too, Brandon! The Brandon I know would have asked me what happened!" I retorted. Brandon scoffed at my words.

"Tell me what happened?! You were sleepwalking, and somehow ended up in my estate and continued wandering until you found your way into my bedroom!" Brandon shrugged. "Emma, you have nothing to explain. You're leaving my house tonight without Julian!" Brandon declared.

"Well, I don't care what Julian's birth certificate says. All I know is that I'm going back with my son tonight, " I said and turned to walk away.

"Emma, what the hell is wrong with you?" Brandon shouted at me and I immediately froze. The stranger's behavior only confirmed my doubts that he wasn't the Brandon I knew. Brandon never called me by my name.

"Nothing!" I shot back, anger fueling my words. "I carried Julian for nine months! I'm his biological mother, so there's no way I can just leave without him!"

"What are you gonna tell your family? Who are you gonna say the father is?" Brandon asked, his tone full of fury.

"I don't need to tell them who Julian's father is. Once they lay their eyes on him, they'll know who his dad is," I replied, my voice dripping with a threatening undertone.

"So, you got what you wanted, huh?" Brandon asked, his tone now laced with devastation. "What's my crime? Why do you wanna ruin me? Is it because I married your damn enemy?" Brandon continued, taking deliberate steps towards me.

"Why the fuck do you wanna destroy me, Emma?" Brandon demanded, his voice booming.

"Because, you dumbass, you destroyed the Brandon I used to know and replaced him!" I declared, looking boldly into his eyes. "You heartless bastard killed the intelligent, selfless, and kind man I loved! The Brandon I knew would've never put his integrity and reputation before me! Brandon…" I choked back tears, struggling to maintain control.

"Well, that Brandon you knew died the day you snuck into his room and fucked him while he was drunk! That Brandon died the day you saw his nakedness! Did it ever cross your mind that you were destroying me, my marriage, my company, everything?!

I don't give a damn what pathetic excuse you have for entering my bedroom that night. All I know is that you're going back to Malmo tonight, and you're not taking my son with you! This is my decision, and it's fucking final!" Brandon yelled, storming off without a second glance or a shred of remorse.

With that, I was convinced that I had slept with a treacherous man and had a child with him. The resemblance my son bore to Brandon, in my eyes, felt like a cruel trick, as if my own eyes were deceiving me into thinking Julian resembled the Brandon I know.

As I watched Brandon walk away, I knew I was about to face my biggest enemy because there was nothing that would make me leave Julian in their care. He's not the Brandon I know, I reminded myself.

"Follow me, ma'am," one of the domestic workers said from behind me. I turned around to look at her. She was the same girl who had picked up the bag Brandon dropped on the floor earlier. I wiped my eyes and began to follow her.

She led me to a luxurious bedroom, where expensive clothing, shoes, and accessories were laid out on the bed. Next to them was the empty grocery bag that Brandon had dropped in the nursery. I glanced at the exquisite gown and noticed that it was my size.

"Even the fake Brandon knew my size," I whimpered as I placed the clothes back on the bed.

"The boss wants you to take a bath and get dressed. He has also booked a flight for you," the girl pointed at a ticket on the table.

"These guys outside are waiting to take you to the airport," the maid said, gesturing towards the men outside.

As I glanced out the window, I saw Brandon standing by his car, holding the door open while Rachel walked towards him.

"Brandon, I've been trying to call you, but you haven't been answering," Rachel said urgently.

"What's the matter?" Brandon asked.

"I... I..." Rachel faked a cry and couldn't explain why she was looking for Brandon.

"I'm sorry. When I saw her in your bedroom, I couldn't think of any other way to punish her," I overheard Rachel saying.

"Rachel, I have nothing to say to you now! Go back to the estate and prepare your speech. You have a lot of explanations to make tonight!" Brandon shouted at Rachel. Rachel quickly knelt down and grabbed Brandon's leg. I couldn't believe she was trying to make everything seem like my fault.