"Say 'fuck you,' kiddo.

"Fuc—"

"What kind of nonsense are you teaching my child!"

I interrupted just as my child was about to speak. I was only halfway up the stairs when I heard the shameless things this man was teaching my child.

He's just like his older brother, who left me high and dry while I was three weeks pregnant.

"So that when he meets my brother, he'll already be an expert!"

He laughed and tickled my child's stomach.

I didn't know how he found out I was pregnant and that his brother was the father. Zon was three years old when he suddenly appeared, threatening to tell his brother if I didn't allow him near his nephew.

"Just leave, Laki!" I was just short of throwing my slipper at this grinning demon.

"You're bad, uncle Laki. You made my Momma angry."

My five-year-old acted out, crossing his little arms over his chest. He's turning six soon.

"Do you want your daddy, kiddo? I can bring him here—"

"Really?" He seemed to have fooled my child again.

"Laki?" I caught Laki's attention, so he turned to me. "Would you like a double slap?" He quickly raised both his hands as if surrendering, but he still wore a smirk.

I remembered what happened back then. I was just sixteen years old when Zon's father left me. I held my belly while crying in front of the father of the child I was carrying.

"Who is she, Laz?" the beautiful woman asked gently.

"Get in my car, baby," Laz told his companion. He turned to me and glared. "What are you still looking at? Leave!" I didn't leave. I stayed and continued to cry in front of him.

"Laz? Why is she crying? Tell me," her voice was so gentle, like an angel.

"Get in my car, now, Sammantha," Laz cooed sweetly to the woman. His treatment of the woman made my chest ache even more.

"L-Lazarus, please..." I begged until I found myself kneeling in front of him. This hurt so much. It was a pain that felt unbearable. I didn't love him, but I didn't want my baby to grow up without a father.

I was doing this for the child's well-being, not for my own desires, I watched as he roughly tugged at his own hair before I bent down and touched the floor. He knelt too, and he roughly grabbed my hair to force our gazes to meet.

He looked at me harshly.

"I don't want to see your face. From now on, don't let me fucking push you away." His words only made me cry more. He let go of my hair with force and stood up. He wrapped his strong, muscular arms around Sammantha's waist.

"Wait, Laz—"

"Get in, okay?" Lazarus cut off whatever Sammantha was going to say and kissed her forehead. Sammantha had no choice but to get into the front seat of Lazarus' car. Lazarus turned and opened the driver's seat. He was about to get in when I stood up and spoke.

"Y-You're so selfish, but thank you. Thank you for giving me this little blessing. I hope you sleep soundly every night, Lazarus." He entered the car and drove off quickly. I watched his car move away until I felt the rain start to fall.

I caressed my belly. It's not that big. I'm three weeks pregnant and now I'm trying to convince my baby's father to help me.

But he didn't, he left me pregnant.

"Y-Your daddy left us, baby."

Almost six years have passed since all that happened, but until now, everything is still crystal clear in my mind.

"Zon! Baby, what did you do?" I quickly approached Zon. In just a minute that I left, the living room was already in chaos. Laki had left after his older brother called him to take care of something. He quickly hid the toy cars he was holding, even though he was caught red-handed.

"Broom, Momma?" he innocently asked.

"No, it's not a broom. It's a car, baby," I corrected him, as all he knew was the sound of a car. So he called it a broom. He bowed his head, seeming a bit sad because of my slightly stern voice.

"Come here," I extended my hand to him, and he quickly approached.

"Sorry, Momma." He hugged me around the neck and kissed my cheek.

"It's okay, baby. Now, let's get you washed up!" I said happily to him. After we got ready for our outing, we quickly left. My cousin used my car, so we just took public transportation.

"Momma, where are we going?" my son asked with pure innocent curiosity in his eyes.

"Where do you want to go, baby?" I wanted him to choose where we'd go, his face suddenly fell, and he lowered his head.

"Da-ddy..." I stopped in my tracks, still carrying him. There weren't any cars passing by yet; we were just outside the gates of our subdivision.

I bit my lower lip, I didn't have an answer for him. I tried to push out of his mind what he wanted, so I decided we'd go to the mall and buy toys. But first, I needed to withdraw some money from my bank account, so we stopped at an ATM near a bank. It was within walking distance, so I carried my child to prevent him from getting tired.

Several years have passed. He might even be married to someone else by now, we stood in line at the ATM machine, and I held Zon's hand tightly. When it was our turn, I let go of him for a moment to look for my ATM, It took me a little while to find it, but when I did, when the money came out, I was surprised. I looked to where Zon was a moment ago, but he was gone. "Zon? Luzon?" I looked around to find him, but I couldn't locate the fair-skinned child in a black hoodie.

"What's taking you so long, miss! Aren't you done? It's my turn!" the woman behind me complained, I quickly apologized and walked towards the bank's entrance.

I was getting nervous, white vans are still quite common these days.

I took a deep breath when I saw Zon had already entered the bank. My brow furrowed as I noticed he was following a man who had his back turned, walking towards a private room. I quickly entered, my child still following him. The man was even dressed in formal business attire. My child looked up at him, as if wanting to see the face of the person he was following. The man didn't notice because Zon only reached up to his waist, making it impossible for him to see the child. He had to bend down to catch a glimpse of my child who was trailing him.

I ran towards my child and grabbed Zon by the shoulders to make him stop walking and following the unfamiliar man. He was still looking up, his little neck almost craned, as if he really wanted to see the face of the person he was trailing.

"Zon! Oh God! Baby, don't leave without asking permission..." I knelt in front of my child and because my voice was so loud, it also made the man Zon was following stop in his tracks. I saw his feet move and turn towards us. I pressed my lips together when I saw the other people around us also starting to look at us.

"Momma! I found daddy!" my child said happily, pointing at the man he was following, which was why my cheeks immediately flushed with embarrassment.

"Shh, no, that's embarrassing, baby. He's not your daddy," I scolded my child, still not looking at the man he was following because I was feeling so mortified.

"But Momma! Look!" he lifted a photo he was holding. It's Lazarus' photograph, where did he get that?

I stood up and took a deep breath. I looked up at the man my child had been following, intending to apologize, but I froze when I met his gaze, his calm but intense eyes bore into me. I took a step back because of what I saw. I held Zon even tighter.

"No, he's not your daddy, Zon. Let's go, okay? Let's find another daddy for you."

Irithel complained while playing with my son's long hair, "When are you going to cut Zon's hair? People mistake him for a girl." The length of his hair now reaches beyond his shoulders, so I wouldn't be surprised if he's mistaken for a girl, even though he wears boy's clothes.

"You know why I've kept his hair long, Rith,'' I glanced at her, and she just rolled her eyes at me. I'm attempting to tie my hair into a neat bun, but it ends up looking messy. They're behind me, on the bed, my son engrossed in playing with his toy cars and robots.

''You know why I've kept his hair long, Rith,'' she copied, exaggerating her expression.

''Psh! Like duh? No matter what you do, your son still looks like a Cavanaugh! The blood of the Cavanaughs runs in his veins, Calista,'' her frustration evident on her face. ''You're really trying to hide your child—''

''I'm not, he rejected us,'' I cut her off. It's useless because I'm not hiding my son; if I were, I would have gone to a different country.

''How would he know he has a child with you if you didn't tell him? What "rejected" are you talking about? Because you didn't tell him! That's why he pushed you away!'' my sharp-witted friend argued. She really won't back down when it comes to this topic.

''What if I did tell him, Irithel? What if he want to aborted this child?'' I pouted and applied a light lip gloss, checking the mirror to make sure I didn't mess up. I moved the lip gloss away from my lips for a moment to speak. ''And besides, he's been with other girls. We don't know, right? He might have gotten other girls pregnant besides me. He doesn't want his cherished surname to be tainted,'' and I continued applying a little lip gloss.

I'm not really into cosmetics, but it's necessary for a woman going out to a bar, so I have to bear with it.

''I don't know about you, but it won't be long before he finds out about Zon. His magnate brother, Laki Cavanaugh, found out about this. What about him?'' she insisted, determined to get what she wanted.

''Even if he finds out or already knows, I swear he won't do anything. Why? Because if he really cared, he wouldn't have left me in the first place,'' I emphasized, explaining why she looked annoyed. ''Hello? Earth to Irithel! We're not in a movie or a novel; this is reality.

Boys run away from the girls they've accidentally impregnated. It's different from movies and novels where the guy chases after the pregnant girl who's hiding.'' My fantasy-driven friend just gave me an annoyed look. She's been my best friend since high school. I really thought she'd be disgusted or distance herself from me because I got pregnant early, but she didn't.

She was actually excited when she heard I was pregnant, but she also got angry when she found out I didn't tell the guy who impregnated me.

Maybe Lazarus knew about this all along? It's impossible that he didn't know. He has a lot of connections, and the reason I suddenly stopped going to school was all over the university, but I continued my studies online.

I'm homeschooled. I only go out for exams. It turns out it's more expensive when I study online, but there are universities that accept online schooling, so continuing my education wasn't a problem.

''Momma, can I come too?'' I turned to see my son. He clumsily stood up from sitting on the huge bed, and Irithel helped him stand properly on the bed. With just one movement, the bed started moving because of the string underneath.

I shot Irithel a dirty look, and she responded with her teasing smile. I really don't want to talk about Lazarus while Zon is here. I approached them and picked up my son, who immediately clung to my neck. 'No, baby. You have to sleep; it's late.'

He nodded and pouted. My son got his father's rosy, thin lips, and even his cute pointed nose. I can't deny that my son has a wealthy complexion.

My family isn't that rich, just comfortably well-off. We have a business, but it's not that big. Unlike Lazarus' family, they have their own company. Mom and Dad migrated to Canada because of their work, and I was supposed to follow because they were my only connection to go to another country. But it all fell apart when the embassy found out about my situation here.

My migration didn't push through, my parents supported me by sending money for me and Zon, so here I am, alone with my son in a simple two-story house in a subdivision.

I have a job though. I just graduated this year with a degree in business administration and immediately started looking for work.

''Don't cry, baby. Momma will be home soon,'' Irithel's voice was gentle when she saw the sadness on my son's face, as if he might cry any minute or throw a tantrum.

''I'm not crying, aunt...'' he said while still looking at me, and my son is very respectful as an adult . I taught him that. When he's talking to someone older, he should always lower his voice and he's a fast learner.

Sometimes when he's in a sulk, which he probably inherited from Lazarus, he doesn't pay attention to anyone else around him except me.

''Let's go to sleep, okay? I promise, when you wake up, Momma will be right beside you, hmm?'' I persuaded my stubborn son. He really won't stay put. He's just five years old, turning six in the next seven months.

He's obedient, but often he doesn't listen to me. He's very stubborn and fidgety when I try to give him a bath, I sighed as he tightened his grip on my neck.

''No, Momma, I want to come!' My son's voice was a bit angry. He really doesn't want to be left behind.

"Oh, if Lazarus used to almost push you away, this child of his almost doesn't want to be apart from you," Irithel whispered to herself, but it was obvious and I still heard it.

I don't want anyone to mention Luzon's father, It's almost ten in the evening. I usually put my son to bed by 8 pm.

Irithyll is behind this. I don't need to go to bars or anything to enjoy my life, she says. I'm happy and contented with my son; I don't need a man.

In my situation, would any man accept me? My body has returned to normal after almost two years of taking care of my son. I take care of myself too. I go to the gym to fill my free time, and I bring my son with me since the gym is owned by Irithel's older brother. It's fine because I can watch my son while I'm at the gym.

"Momma, please? Let me come with you..." my little boy lowered his voice, as if trying to be endearing to get me to allow him to come along. "Promise, Momma. I won't bother the boys who come here," he still pronounced the letter 'r' with a flourish. He even pressed his cute face against my neck.

I really don't know why he scowls at or even fights with the boys who visit here. They're just my friends or colleagues.

There are only two guys he really vibes with, Laki and Domino. Domino is Irithel's older brother.

"But baby, you have to go to sleep now," I stroked his back since he really likes it whenever he's in my arms.

"No! I'm not sleepy yet!" He moved his face away from my neck and face me. He widened his brown eyes in front of me. "See? Momma, I'm not sleepy yet!"

"But babies aren't allowed where I'm going."

"I'm not a baby anymore! I can walk!" he stomped his foot while I held him. It means he wants to get down, so I gently placed him on the cool floor since he's wearing his white socks anyway. He marched back and forth in front of me, laughing heartily, while Irithel watched in amusement. "I can walk, Momma! I'm not a baby anymore! I can... Hmm—" he pretended to think. "I can also protect you from bad guys, Momma! Uncle Laki taught me how!" his little hand reached for my clothes. He wanted to be carried again.

"Whatever Laki teaches your son, Cal, he's insane," Irithel said, barely holding back her laughter, I carried my proud son. I carried him for almost half an hour, and he kept boasting about the things Uncle Laki and Uncle Domino taught him until sleep finally overtook him.

I gently laid him on the soft bed to avoid waking him up. His long, soft hair spread over the baby blue pillows beneath his little head and on both sides. I placed pillows on either side of him, I kissed my son's little forehead before getting dressed and leaving the room with Irithyll.

"Rith, watch over him, okay? Just call me if he wakes up and looks for me. I probably won't be too long—"