Chapter 4

Hearing those words, Layla couldn't help but clench her fists slightly. Benjamin was indeed conceived after a drunken encounter. At the time, she had intended to terminate the pregnancy because she didn't want others to say that she was using her child to climb the social ladder. However, it was Seth who had convinced her to get off the operating table, assuring her in all seriousness that he would marry her and give both her and their child a home. Seth had kept his word. After their marriage, he treated both her and Benjamin well, playing the role of a good husband and father. Even after discovering that everything he had done was for Clarissa, Layla had never imagined that even her pregnancy was part of a larger scheme. Layla tried her best to suppress the emotions surging in her heart and smirked. "Do you think I care? No matter the reason, I was with him before you. He's just second-hand goods now." "Layla, I wonder if you can still smile after seeing this," Clarissa said, handing her a medical report. Layla glanced at the document, and her gaze landed on the words at the top. "Patient: Clarissa Price. Diagnosis: Severe uterine damage due to a car accident, resulting in infertility." Reading those words, a chilling suspicion began to form in Layla's mind. Her chest tightened, as if an invisible hand were squeezing her heart, suffocating her. Noticing her reaction, Clarissa raised her eyebrows and said, "After Seth found out I couldn't have children, he promised to give me a child who would call me 'Mom.' That's why he orchestrated the whole situation with you. Otherwise, how could a man as meticulous as him let some insignificant secretary get pregnant by accident? "Layla, from the day you joined Parker Group, you were living for me—by shielding me and giving me a child. From the beginning, you were nothing but a tool to Seth. What makes you think you have the right to flaunt anything in front of me?" Layla had once believed that being used as a shield by Seth was the worst thing he could do to her. Now, for a man who didn't love her, she realized that there were no limits to the extent he could go to hurt her. He hadn't just used her to deflect problems; he had also treated her as a baby-making machine. How foolish she had been back then, thinking that he really loved her. It turned out to be all part of his carefully laid plans. Layla's heart ached. It wasn't because Seth didn't love her, but because the four years she had spent with him had been nothing but a web of deceit. Seth had played the role of a perfect husband, while she had unknowingly fallen deeper and deeper into his trap. She had loved him so deeply, earnestly, and selflessly. She had even sacrificed her own dreams for the sake of his career and nearly lost her life trying to give him a daughter. How blind and naive had she been not to notice that anything was wrong? Layla let out a derisive laugh, not at Clarissa but at her own pitiful self from years ago. Slowly lifting her gaze, she looked at Clarissa with cold eyes. "No matter how I ended up with Seth, I will always be his first woman, and Benjamin will always be my son. Those are facts you can't change." Clarissa clenched her fists tightly, and her face contorted with rage. "So what? They belong to me now. You've been abandoned and will never win their love again. Layla, you were nothing but a tool to Seth. After being used, you were disposed of without hesitation." Layla chuckled, a trace of disdain in her voice as she replied, "Do you think I've suffered from being manipulated by him? Have you ever considered that I might have enjoyed those years? After all, Seth is a man with looks and talent. Sleeping with such an outstanding man for free and giving birth to a child with excellent genes—didn't I come out on top?" Clarissa's arrogance instantly evaporated. Layla was right. Every woman in Kingsville could only dream of being with Seth, herself included. But after all these years, the only woman who had ever been with him was Layla. Even though Clarissa had been engaged to Seth for four years, he had never once touched her—not even so much as a casual brush of contact. How could she not envy Layla? Fury burned in Clarissa's eyes as she glared at Layla. "You shameless woman! If it weren't for your good genes, do you think you'd even be worthy of having Seth's child?" Layla chuckled, and she said casually, "When it comes to shamelessness, I still have a long way to go to match up to you and him." With that, she turned and walked away. Clarissa had never suffered such humiliation before. She vowed through gritted teeth, "Layla, you will pay for this." By the time she returned to her seat, Layla had already left the restaurant. Recalling Layla's mocking words, Clarissa couldn't help but grab Seth's arm and ask, "Seth, can I go to Solivelle with you tonight?" The implication was crystal clear, and Seth, of course, understood. Without a hint of expression on his face, he stood up and picked up Benjamin's backpack. Then, he said to her, "I'll take you home." "Seth, we've been engaged for four years now, and my leg has already healed. Why won't you let me into that house? Don't tell me you've fallen for Layla. Are you protecting the love nest that you'd shared with her?" Seth was displeased. "Clarissa, my affairs are none of your concern." His lack of denial only fueled Clarissa's anger. "Seth, do you know what Layla just said about you? She said she only sees you as a free gigolo. She even bragged about having a child with excellent genes and called herself the real winner in life. "Right after she left you, she got together with another man. A woman as promiscuous as her doesn't deserve your love!" Seth's expression grew even colder, and his eyes were shadowed with stormy emotions. That damned woman. She actually saw him as a free gigolo! The thought made the weight on his chest grow heavier. Even his breath was laced with a dull ache. He had been the one to abandon Layla, so why did it feel as though she had left him? The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Without another word, he left Clarissa behind and walked off with Benjamin. … At 8:00 am on Monday, Seth walked into the school building with Benjamin. He immediately spotted Layla greeting the students at the classroom door. She was dressed in a lavender blouse paired with a long white skirt, looking both elegant and approachable. Her smile was as warm and soothing as ever. Her voice was just as he remembered—soft and melodic. She hugged each child as they arrived. It was her way of welcoming them on their first day of school. Watching her, Seth was reminded that she had called him a gigolo. He sneered as he strode forward with Benjamin. When Layla bent down to give Benjamin a hug, he dodged her with disdain. His tone was nonchalant as he said, "You're only hugging everyone so that you can hug me. Don't think I don't know." With that, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked into the classroom. Layla furrowed her brows as she helplessly watched him go. Before she could say anything, a cold voice came from behind her. "He's a child of a gigolo. What manners did you expect from him? Cheap things are rarely good, Ms. Jenkins, so don't take it to heart."