Chapter 1 “Come to Heritus Hotel for dinner right now,” Anthony Hoffman said into the phone voice deep and devoid of warmth. Delighted to receive his call, Genevieve Lawrence began, “I’m at the hospital-” his However, before she could tell him she was doing her prenatal test, he hung up the phone. Anthony was her husband, and in the two months since he had gone away on a business trip, this was the first time he had taken the initiative to call her. Genevieve was ecstatic enough to hear from him despite him sounding as indifferent as usual. ‘He remembers that it’s our third wedding anniversary today, she thought gleefully. ‘He must have invited me to dinner because he has a surprise for me!‘ Her originally haggard face turned a little red, and her eyes were bright as she left the hospital with her medical report in hand. It was just as well that Anthony had invited her to dinner, for she had her good news to tell him, too. ן‘ guess we’ll have two things to celebrate today!‘ Genevieve mused in excitement. Later, she had only just gotten out of the car when a crowd suddenly surrounded her. Countless reporters swarmed in and blocked her path. Genevieve could not hide her joy, assuming Anthony had put the word out that it was their wedding anniversary today, so these reporters were especially here to congratulate them now. She waved happily at the reporters. “Mrs. Hoffman, you and Anthony have been married for three years. Did you know that his illegitimate child is already two years old?” “Mrs. Hoffman, what are your thoughts about Anthony’s illegitimate child? Are you open to 1/7 Ove Talk Chapter 1 letting him become part of your family and raising him?” “Are you and Anthony only married on paper? Do you both have your own separate lives?” “Is that child yours? Or is he a product of Anthony’s infidelity?” Recently, there had been rumors of Anthony having an illegitimate child, but Genevieve did r not believe them. “My husband is very busy. We have no children of our own yet, and he certainly does not have an illegitimate child. Those are just rumors,” she answered. “We love each other very much, and I trust him.” Three years of being married to Anthony had trained her to handle these unwelcomed questions and situations well. Meanwhile, Anthony was standing not too far away from the scene, his muscular, upright silhouette and defined features making him stand out from the crowd. He carried himself in his usual aloof manner, his gaze rather impassive. He was exchanging pleasantries with someone standing across from him when he looked up and noticed Genevieve approaching him. In an instant, his smile vanished, and his handsome face returned to looking dispassionate. Genevieve’s expression froze the next second, and her smile grew a little strained. She felt somewhat untethered, even though her footsteps seemed to be getting heavier. That was because she spotted an adorable little boy in Anthony’s arms. The boy appeared to be around two years old, and he was an exact replica of Anthony, albeit a smaller version. In the meantime, Anthony was looking down at the little boy with an affectionate gaze, exuding elegance and gentleness. There was also a woman standing next to Anthony, who reached out at this moment to take the child out of Anthony’s arms. If one did not know better, one would have assumed from their rapport that they had been married for years. 217 QveTalk The woman was none other than Rosalie Stewart. ‘I can’t believe she’s back!‘ Genevieve pondered in shock. The little boy from earlier had both Anthony’s and Rosalie’s facial features. Genevieve would be remiss to think that the little boy had no relation to Anthony at all! If her nails were not digging into her palms right now, she was sure she would have lost control of her emotions. Three years ago, Rosalie broke up with Anthony after his mother, Quincey Hoffman, paid her to, and she went abroad after that. Having been betrayed by his girlfriend at the time, Anthony was so devastated that he began fooling around among different women, presumably to spite his mother. Back then, Genevieve had already been in love with him for a while, as he had rescued her from a kidnapping as a passerby while they were abroad. From that moment on, he made her believe in love at first sight. After returning to the country, Genevieve had deliberately found work at Hoffman Group just so she could get closer to Anthony. Unfortunately, he had long since forgotten who she was. Thus, she could only work harder to make herself stand out so that he would notice her someday. Within half a year, she managed to become the chief secretary of his office. Not long after that, Anthony’s younger sister fell seriously ill and was in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. It was during a health check–up that he discovered Genevieve was a compatible bone. marrow donor for his sister. That was the first time Anthony approached Genevieve about a personal matter. He had patiently asked her if she had any conditions for donating her bone marrow. 3/7 Genevieve was willing to donate her bone marrow, but not in exchange for money. Suppressing her anxiousness, she had said tentatively to him, “I’ll do it if you marry me.” Her answer made Anthony pause in thought before he replied nonchalantly, “Okay.” He sounded like he couldn’t care less about who he married. Genevieve, on the other hand, had been elated that her dream of becoming Mrs. Hoffman was coming true. For the three years she was married to Anthony, she was mocked, insulted, and sidelined by those around her, becoming the topic of unkind conversations. It was as though it was only natural that Anthony dumped her one day. Despite this, Genevieve never once regretted marrying him. She believed she could become the perfect wife and that time would prove to Anthony that he had made the right choice. She had been so sure that he would come to notice all that was good about her and fall in love with her. However, all her confidence and determination were destroyed at this moment. Standing on the stage impassively, Anthony silenced the entire room with a single glance. “Thank you all for attending the second birthday party of my son, Samson Hoffman. I know rumors have been flying around since his pictures were taken by the media, so in order to protect him from any hurtful comments, I’d like to take this opportunity today to officially clarify that he is, indeed, mine and my wife’s son.” There was an intense buzzing in Genevieve’s ears as she listened to Anthony’s speech. All the color had drained from her face, and she looked up at him stiffly. The reporters by the door had yet to disperse, so they naturally heard Anthony’s words clearly. To think, she had firmly denied Anthony having an illegitimate child in front of those reporters earlier, only for him to contradict her now. His contradiction only went to show that the child was indeed his, but Genevieve was not the mother. 4/7 Chapter 1 In a trice, Genevieve felt as if she had been slapped in public, and the stinging pain spread from head to toe. She could feel her face getting hot. To make things worse, Anthony chose to make this groundbreaking announcement on the day of their wedding anniversary! It was then it dawned on her that he had probably forgotten it was their wedding anniversary, and this welcome party was purely thrown in honor of his illegitimate son. He had only called her earlier to ask her to show up here and nothing more. Genevieve’s tears clouded her vision. The scene in front of her had turned the marriage she tried so hard to keep into some twisted joke and crushed her dignity and determination. She gave Anthony a long look. He appeared to be waiting for her to play along with his ruse. “He put me in this situation without even considering my feelings!‘ she thought in agony. All at once, embarrassment and cold disappointment washed over her. Her heart twisted painfully under the silent urging of his sharp and icy gaze. Genevieve could not believe he was adding more insult to injury even after all the damage he had dealt against her. She felt like a complete joke. ‘As it turns out, some people’s hearts can’t be moved no matter how hard I try. I was too naive. I concede defeat. “It’s time to put an end to everything,‘ she ruminated. Making up her mind, Genevieve took the microphone and smiled slowly, then said in a low and raspy voice, “I believe you’re mistaken, Mr. Hoffman. This child has nothing to do with me. In fact, I’d like to know who the mother is as well.” Upon hearing this, the audience tacitly exchanged bewildered looks and began to whisper among themselves. 5/7 As Genevieve met Anthony’s gaze, she could see the rage and restrained emotions flash in his eyes. His face grew grim as he bit out in a suppressed voice, “What are you doing, Genevieve? Now is not the time to play around! Don’t forget what you promised me!” She had promised him that she would be a good wife and uphold the Hoffman family’s honor as long as he married her. Genevieve chuckled humorlessly. Burying her disappointment, she narrowed her eyes in a somewhat mischievous manner and drawled sarcastically, “Am I the one who is being unreasonable here, or are you the one who has crossed the line?” Disappointment and desolation filled her eyes. This would be the last time she was being considerate of Anthony. In a quiet voice, she said decisively, “Let’s get a divorce, Anthony Hoffman.” With that, she dropped the microphone on the floor and walked away. At once, a deafening silence filled the room. Genevieve and Anthony had been married for three years, but his son was two years old. She realized that, in other words, for the last three years, he had not been away on business at all. Rather, he had been tending to another family. He had told her he did not like children, so he did not want her to have any. ‘In truth, he just didn’t want to have children with me. ‘I can’t believe I’ve been living like a fool, cluelessly working to keep up appearances for this sham of a marriage, she reflected bitterly. When Genevieve walked out of the banquet hall, she halted and took a glance at the scene inside, only to see Rosalie going up to Anthony to comfort him with the little boy in her arms. Rosalie’s tender voice rang out. “Anthony, where did Genevieve go? Does she not like Sammy?” 6/7 Chapter 1 Genevieve heard Anthony reply stoically, “Leave her be.”