Chapter 20 Powerless , I dropped to my knees in front of him and begged him in the most humiliating way possible . But his hand only clamped around my jaw like a steel trap , his teeth grinding in fury . " " If you want that little bastard to live , then tell me where the hell you took Jewel ? " > " I don't know ! I swear I don't know , please ," I answered truthfully , begging . " Yet a loud slap exploded across my face . My left cheek burned , and all I could hear was a high - pitched ringing in my ear . " "You liar ! " he spat . " Surveillance from the kindergarten shows a woman dressed exactly like you taking her into a car . Her name tag was also found outside your bedroom . And you're still pretending you're innocent ? " \ I shook my head desperately , tears flying . " It wasn't me ! I swear , it wasn't ! " } I then turned my head and saw Mick's tiny chest rising slower and slower . " Panicked , I pushed myself up and rushed toward the operating room . " Mick ! Don't be scared . Mommy's taking you home . " " I cradled his ice - cold body in my arms , whispering that same sentence over and over like a prayer . " He was still wearing the soccer jersey of Denton's favorite team . I gently kissed his pale little cheek , and my warm tears fell on his soft skin . Just yesterday morning , Denton had him perched on his shoulders , playing pretend knights . " But now , Denton coldly said , " He's not my son . Melanie showed me your old pregnancy records . You were already pregnant before we got married . And that kid isn't premature ; he was full - term . You just made up that whole preemie lie to cover up your past . " His words hit harder than any slap . For a moment , I forgot to cry . " Every accusation , about kidnapping Melanie's daughter , about Mick's parentage , was a lie . All of it . " Three months ago , I had been carefully planning our anniversary trip . I even booked two tickets to Paris . Yet he never showed up . Mick and I waited outside Disneyland the entire night . But only the fireworks lighting up the empty sky accompanied us . " I still remember , I was wearing the same outfit shown in that kindergarten footage . But the next morning , I was mugged on the street and lost the entire outfit while protecting Mick . " When I finally got home , he wasn't there either . Later that night , I saw him on Melanie's Instagram . That same cold man I married was smiling under the Paris night sky , with the Eiffel Tower glowing behind him . That was when I realized he had chosen Melanie over me . But we were in love once because Mick was the proof of that . " Seven years ago , Denton was a powerful and feared genius in both the legal and underground business world , while I was just a broke computer science student , bartending to pay my tuition . " He claimed it was love at first sight . " Every day , he brought me gifts and begged me to marry him . I rejected him 99 times because I knew deep down , we were from two very different worlds . I wasn't worthy of his billion - dollar life . And more importantly , I didn't want to live a life tied to blood and darkness . Until one night , I was drugged , and he showed up and saved me . He held me as he cried , apologizing over and over . For seven days straight , he publicly announced he was cutting ties with the underground world just to convince me he could give me a simple , happy life . When Mick was born prematurely , I watched him cry as he stood over the incubator . He swore he'd protect us , no matter what . He even said he'd give his own life to save our son . Back then , he was the perfect husband and father . But everything started to fall apart the day Melanie returned . & She weaseled her way into every part of our lives . She made Denton used to missing all our important moments . She planted the idea that Mick wasn't his child . She even twisted the story of Denton's father's accidental death , blaming me . And the most terrifying part was that he believed her . I once offered to divorce him . I thought maybe , just maybe , we could part ways peacefully . But he only wrapped a strand of my hair around his finger , smiling softly . His voice slithered like a snake against my ear . " Darling , did you really think you could fool me and walk away unscathed ? A blood debt must be paid in blood . Isn't that P