"I made you a promise, and I don't go back on my word. Besides, my child is your child."

"But..."

She cut him off and patted his shoulder lightly.

"I've already arranged everything. Roland won't find out. Don't worry. And with your condition, your health being what it is, it would be hard for you to have children of your own."

Ida paused for a beat, her tone breezy. "But Roland's different. If he wants another child, I'll just have one with him later."

At the end of the video, Humphrey shot a taunting glance directly at the camera.

So that was all I ever was to her. A sperm donor. A tool.

So when she'd drunkenly murmured about having another baby, this was what she'd meant.

I sat in the car, cold seeping through every inch of my body. My nails dug into the flesh of my palms until they nearly broke the skin, the only thing keeping the fury from consuming me whole.

My hands shook as I was about to tap "save video."

The next second, the sender recalled it.

The blood drained from my face. I ordered the driver to turn around and head straight for Humphrey's residence.

I had barely reached the front gate when Humphrey strolled out of the villa.

"Hey, brother-in-law! What brings you here all of a sudden?"

I pulled my lips into a cold, thin smile.

"Humphrey. Where is my child?"

He kept up the act perfectly, even managing a look of surprise.

"What are you talking about?"

"I know the premature stillbirth hit you hard, and I'm sorry about that, but you can't just go around making wild accusations."

My face went whiter. He leaned in close, his mouth near my ear.

"You know, brother-in-law, I'm starting to worry about you. Losing the baby, the depression... are you having hallucinations now? I seem to remember you were always paranoid about me and—"

My hand flew toward his face before he could finish.

"You and Ida, you're both despicable—"

My palm was an inch from his cheek when someone seized both my arms from behind with crushing force.

Then Ida's cold voice came from above. "Roland, didn't you say you were going out to clear your head? What are you doing here making a scene?"

I thrashed like a man possessed, but I was no match for the bodyguards' grip.

The bones in my wrists felt like they were being ground to dust, but that pain didn't amount to a fraction of what was tearing through my chest.

I looked at Ida with bloodshot eyes, my voice raw. "I know everything, Ida."