My Child and I Married a Billionaire

Cecelia was drowning in a maelstrom of complex emotions, cycling through them again and again.

After what felt like an eternity, she suddenly heard a familiar voice calling her name.

She opened her eyes, and Damien Vaughn’s face—so familiar yet suddenly so strange—appeared before her, etched with a mixture of fatigue and joy.

He called her name as he shut the office door behind him, then strode purposefully toward her.

"I’m sorry, I was gone for too long. You’ve worked so hard these past few days. I missed you so much, and I missed Candy, too. I rushed back as soon as I finished my work. Let me see if you’ve lost more weight. Come on, get up and let me hug you."

Damien was going crazy with how much he missed her. During his days in Corvane, he hadn’t gotten a single good night’s sleep. He longed for the days of sleeping next to Cecelia, when every night had felt so peaceful.

He couldn’t wait to pull her into his arms.

But Cecelia remained seated, motionless.

She looked at this master actor, her eyes completely devoid of emotion.

"What’s wrong? Exhausted into a daze? Why aren’t you happy to see me? Can’t get up? Then I’ll carry you."

Seeing her sunk motionless in the chair, Damien ignored his own exhaustion and swept Cecelia up in a princess carry.

Cecelia was as light as a feather, like holding a ball of cotton. He hugged her tightly, pressing his face into the crook of her neck.

"Still the same familiar scent. It smells so good. I really missed you to death. Let me have a kiss."

Holding her, Damien turned and sat on the edge of the desk. As he spoke, he leaned in to kiss Cecelia on the lips.

Cecelia turned her head, and his kiss met empty air.

With a kick of her legs, she struggled out of his embrace.

She took two steps back, her eyes fixed on Damien with extreme vigilance.

"Where have you been these past few days?"

’No wonder she isn’t happy to see me back. She won’t let me hug her or kiss her. So, she’s angry.’

He knew he was at fault. He had left in such a hurry a few days ago, without telling her in person. He’d been too busy since then, and while he had called her occasionally, it was a far cry from the intimacy of a face-to-face conversation.

Damien knew his mistake, and that Cecelia’s anger was justified. He stood up with a smile and walked toward her again.

"I went to Corvane, didn’t I tell you? I’m sorry, it’s my fault. My work schedule was a mess, and I left in too much of a rush. I’ve neglected you and Candy these past few days, and I made you handle so much of my work. I apologize. Let’s leave work early today, pick up Candy together, and I’ll make it up to her, okay?"

Cecelia truly couldn’t understand why he was still acting. ’What is the ultimate goal of his deception?’ she wondered.

She felt like laughing.

’A man as powerful and successful as Damien Vaughn is still lying to a woman. What is wrong with this world?’

"You went to Corvane to discuss financing. Did it go well?"

Damien took both of her hands in his and brought them to his lips for a kiss.

"No, things are far more complicated than I thought. Can we not talk about work for now? Let me hold you. I really miss you so much."

As he spoke, he reached to embrace Cecelia again, but she turned away once more, leaving him with empty arms.

"Damien Vaughn, there’s no need for this. Really. I have no power or influence. For you, killing me would be as easy as crushing an ant. You really don’t have to go to all this trouble."

Having been rejected by her multiple times, and now hearing her say such things, Damien could finally tell something was seriously wrong.

"What do you mean by that?"

"What do I mean?"

Cecelia was suddenly so amused by his question that she laughed.

"What do I mean? I don’t even know what I mean. It’s all so meaningless. I’m just an idiot, the biggest fool in the world. The kind of fool who’d still be counting the money for you after you sold her. Damien Vaughn, do you enjoy hearing me say these things? Do you enjoy seeing the look on my face right now? Well, you did it. You succeeded. I now realize just how stupid I’ve been, and it hurts. Are you satisfied?"

Damien hated hearing her belittle herself like this. It hurt him, too.

"What on earth happened? Cecelia, what’s wrong with you?"

Cecelia looked at him with a cold smile. "I know what you were doing in Corvane these past few days. I know everything. Damien Vaughn, how long were you planning to hide it from me?"

Damien’s mind went blank. His gaze darkened with disbelief.

"What do you know?"

"I know everything. That villa, that woman, and... your mother."

Silence. A silence so heavy it could suffocate a person.

They stared at each other without a word. After what felt like an eternity, Damien took two steps back and leaned against the desk.

He hadn’t smoked in a long time, but suddenly he had an intense craving.

He pulled open a desk drawer and took out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter.

"You don’t mind if I smoke, do you?"

Cecelia didn’t speak, her vacant, lifeless eyes fixed on him.

Damien shook a cigarette out of the pack, lit it, and took two deep drags before speaking again.

"I never meant to lie to you. Really, from the beginning, I never intended to deceive you. But it’s too late to say anything now. The fact is, I did lie to you."

"I was selfish, I admit it. Lying to you was wrong. I didn’t want you to be with Shane Grant. I like you. Even back then, when I knew full well I couldn’t give you the future you wanted, I just wanted to have you. So I thought... maybe hiding the truth about my mother would make you feel a little guilty, enough that you wouldn’t push me away so heartlessly..."

"My feelings for you are real, Cecelia. I can guarantee that. Even though I lied to you, you’ve always been the only one in my heart. I want to be with you forever, to protect Candy with you. That has never changed."

Cecelia found this laughable.

’If Gwen Morgan hadn’t brought things to light today, he probably would have hidden it from me for the rest of my life.’

’Sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet someone else, taking that person on trips for a week at a time, yet he claims he loves me and wants to be with me forever?’

"Your love is too extraordinary for me. I can’t understand it, and I can’t accept it. Stop acting. There’s really no need for this, Damien Vaughn. There are plenty of women in this world who are better and more beautiful than I am. Wouldn’t making them fall in love with you, conquering them, be more fulfilling? Why did you have to choose me? Is it just because I unknowingly gave birth to your child?"

"No, this isn’t about fulfillment! I just love you! I only want to conquer you! Don’t drag other people into this!"

Damien suddenly crushed the cigarette butt, his gaze fixed firmly on Cecelia.

"You can hit me, yell at me, punish me—I’ll accept whatever you do. I was wrong, and that’s that. But please, don’t talk about leaving me. Don’t look at me with such cold eyes, okay?"

"Not okay!"

’He lied to me, such an outrageous lie, and now he thinks he can just brush it off with a few casual words and expect me to go back to how I was before? Impossible!’

Cecelia didn’t want to talk to him anymore. She didn’t want to see his hypocritical face ever again.

’He really is just like every other man in the world—a scumbag, and so shamelessly proud of it!’

Cecelia turned to leave, but Damien quickly grabbed her hand.

"Don’t go. Tell me, what do I have to do for you to forgive me?"

"Divorce."

Cecelia averted her face, tossing him the single, cold word.

’They’d only been married for a few days! How could she say such a cold word so easily?’

Damien couldn’t accept it.

"Impossible. The day we got our marriage license, I swore that I would never, ever get a divorce in this lifetime!"

"Then get ready for me to sue you."